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R154.Sa1  M89         A  sketch  of  Dr.  John 


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A     SI^ETOH 


-OF- 


DR.  JOHN  SHITH  5AGE5 


N.  Y= 


-by- 


ANNA    >lULFOF?D, 


— WITH  AN- 


/MPF>E]S[E>IX. 


Containing  some  interesting  letters  of  his  father,  Dr.  Eb- 

enezer  Sage,  written  in  the  early  part  of  the  century, 

and  other  matters  relating  to  Sag- Harbor. 


SAG-HAEBOE  : 
3.  H.  HUNT,  PEINTEE. 

1S97 


-;  • :  ;,  ,.      - 


\t> 


©OJSCTBJVTS. 

— :o: — 

CHAPTER.  PAGE. 

I.    ANCESTORS,        ------        i 

II     BOYHOOD,        ------  3 

III.  MANHOOD,            ------  13 

IV.  DECLINING  DAYS,          -  20 

V.     APPENDIX,          ------  28 


IjM!T]RO]DU©TJOj\:. 


-:o:- 


To  the  Eeadek  : 

While  thinking  of  by-gone  days,  Dr.  Sage  and  my  aunt 

Eliza  Gracie  Dering  seem  to  appear  as  clear  as  a  dew-drop 

glittering  in  the  light  of  an  early  sun-beam. 

This  sketch  was  written  for  my  own  gratification,  but 

if  you  knew  the  Doctor  something  of  interest  may  be  found 

within  these  leaves. 

A.  M. 


JDYl.    JOH]SC     SftQE. 


-:o: 


CHAPTER  1. 

ANCESTORS. 

On  the  east  bank  of  the  Connecticut  river,  where  it 
sweeps  around  a  bend  opposite  the  city  of  Middletown, 
Conn.,  the  picturesque  town  of  Portland  is  situated.  In 
Colonial  times  it  was  called  Chatham.  About  fifty  years 
since,  when  the  Portland  stone,  which  is  found  here,  was  be- 
coming popular,  the  name  was  changed  to  that  of  Portland, 
after  a  place  in  England,  famous  for  freestone  quarries. 

Chatham  was  the  home  of  John  Sage's  American  ances- 
tors. It  is  claimed  by  descendants  that  they  came  from 
France  and  were  Huguenots,  also  that  the  name  has  been 
corrupted  from  La  Sarge.  David  Sage,  his  grandfather, 
was  its  first  Representative  to  the  General  Assembly,  and 
held  that  position  from  1768  to  Oct.  1775.  It  is  recorded 
that  in  1803,  when  eighty-six  years  old,  he  was  one  of  the 
Justices.  A  brother  was  one  of  the  victims  of  the  prison- 
ship  cruelties  during  the  Revolution.  Comfort  Sage  (a 
relative)  it  is  said  commanded  a  comoanv  of  light-horse  at 
the  battle  of  Lexington,  1775. 

Ebenezer  Sage,  son  of  David  and  father  of  John,  was 
born  in  Chatham,  1755,  He  graduated  from  Yale  College, 
1788,  in  the  same  class  with  Joel  Barlow  and  Noah  Web- 
ster. He  was  a  physician,  and  in  1784  settled  in  East- 
Hampton,  N.  Y.  He  was  a  skillful  doctor  and  a  gentleman 
of  scholarly  attainments.  He  was  of  the  Jefferson  school 
of  politics,  and  was  Member   of  Congress  from  Suffolk  Co., 


2  DR.  JOHN  SAGE. 

N.  T.,  from  1809-1817,  also  a  delegate  to  the  Convention, 
1821,  for  amending  the  Constitution  of  the  State  of  New- 
York.  He  died  in  Sag-Harbor,  N.  T.,  greatly  lamented, 
1835. 

Ruth  Smith,  the  daughter  of  Dr.  William  Smith,  of  South- 
ampton, N.  Y.,  became  the  wife  of  Dr.  Ebenezer  Sage  and 
the  mother  of  John.  She  belonged  to  the  family  descend- 
ed from  Richard  Smith,  who  settled  in  Smithtown,  Long 
Island,  N.  Y.,  1663.  This  family  is  commonly  known  as 
the  "Bull  Smiths"  and  thus  distinguished  from  the  "Tan- 
gier Smiths." 

Richard  Smith  was  a  Patentee  of  immense  tracts  of  land 
both  in  New-York  and  Rhode  Island.  He  was  a  soldier  in 
Cromwell's  wars,  and  the  gun  with  which  he  fought  and 
afterwards  did  good  execution  amoiig  the  Indians,  is  a 
treasured  relic  in  the  family  at  the  ancient  homestead  near 
Smithtown,  where  his  grave  and  that  of  his  wife  still  may 
be  seen. 


CHAPTER  II. 

BOYHOOD. 

Q 

John  Sage  was  bom  in  East-Hampton,  N.  Y.,  1781.  His 
parents  lived  on  the  quaint,  shady  street,  in  the  house 
which  Albert  M.  Payne  modernized,  and  in  which  he  now 
resides.  He  inherited  sterling  qualities  of  integrity,  pru- 
dence and  intelligence.  These  traits  of  character  still  dis- 
tinguish persons  of  the  same  pedigree. 

He  did  not  remember  the  time  wh  en  he  could  not  read 
nor  write,  but  never  forget  how,  when  five  years  old,  he 
was  sent  to  "Dame  Filer's"  school.  "Dame  Filer"  took 
little  children  (principally)  to  relieve  their  busy  mothers,  to 
to  her  house  which  stood  rtill  recently  near  the  south  end 
(if  the  village.  "Dame  Filer"  essayed  to  teach  the  rudi- 
ments. Her  methods,  or  rather  ways  of  so  doing,  left  a 
strong  and  long  impression  upon  this  pupil,  which  in  old 
age,  when  recalled  to  mind,  afforded  amusement  to  himself 
and  hearers.  Suffice  it.  to  say,  the  road  to  knowledge  one 
hundred  years  ago  was  not  enlivened  as  at  the  present  day, 
by  kindergartens  or  athletics.  The  Bible  was  often  the 
text  book  from  which  was  taught  the  alphabet,  easy  spell- 
ing and  first  reading  lessons.  Indeed,  bible,  birch  and 
bench  were  the  essential  furniture  of  a  school  room,  and 
did  not  make  it  a  cheerful  place  for  little  Puritans. 

"When  John  was  seven  years  old  his  father  returned  to 
Chatham,  Ct.,  but  after  living  there  five  years  was  induced 
to  settle  in  Sag-Harbor,  N.  Y.,  and  practice  his  profession. 
During  the  following  five  years  John  was  a  pupil  at  Clinton 
Academy,  East-Hamrton,  N.  Y.  He  was  prepared  at  this 
school  for  Dartmouth  College,  which  he  entered  in  1808,  in 


DR.  JOHN  SAGE. 


his  18th  year.  He  graduated,  third  in  his  class,  and  lived 
to  see  himself  the  last  but  one,  who  had  not  been  "starred," 
as  the  Doctor  expressed  it.  In  old  age  he  used  to  search 
the  College  catalogue  to  find  a  name  of  a  college  mate  with 
an  asterisk.  It  did  not  seem  to  be  in  any  degree  a  depress- 
ing occupation,  and  when  assured  that  Le  was  the  last 
living,  but  one  other,  of  his  class,  would  often  repeat  the 
fact  to  us  children.  It  seemed  to  us,  as  perhaps  to  him, 
a  position  of  dignified  consideration. 

Two  letters  written  by  the  boy  during  the  beginning  of 
his  college  life,  are  by  the  changes  and  chances  with  which 
the  whirligig  of  time  often  preserves  and  wields  the  destiny 
of  inanimate  objects,  at  my  disposal.  They  were  written 
to  his  father's  friend,  Mr.  Henry  Packer  Dering.  The 
first  is  dated  : 

Dartmouth  College,  January,  1808. 

Dear  Sir  : 

I  am  infinitely  obliged  to  you  for  the  favor  you  do  me  in 
frankiiig  my  sister's  letter.  I  should  have  written  you  last 
week  but  want  of  time  must  be  my  plea,  and  it  was  at  the 
end  of  the  term. 

Vacation  has  now  commenced,  and  of  course  now  I  am 
free  from  all  exercises,  but  as  there  is  a  good  library  be- 
longing to  the  College  I  shall  never  be  out  of  business. 

I  saw  by  the  papers  which  my  father  sent  me  the  account 
of  the  death  of  Mr.  Gelston ;  this  is  a  melancholy  instance 
of  the  uncertainty  of  human  life ;  no  one  had  better  hopes 
of  a  long  life  than  he  could  have,  but  fatal  diversion  put 
an  end  to  his  career. 

The  embargo  which  I  hear  has  been  laid  on  our  ports 
is  a  strong  measure  ;  but  I  suppose  the  Tories  will  not 
blame  Mr.  Jefferson  for  rashly  plunging  into  war,  when  but 
just  uoav  they  grumbled  at  his  want  of  energy.  Seemingly 
inconsistencies  are  easily  reconciled  by  them  ;  let  Mr.  Jef- 
ferson  do  what   he  will,  they  without  reason  will   always 


DR.  JOHN  SAGE.  0 

dislike  him.     Indeed  their  only  reason  amounts  to  no  more 
than  this  : 

"I  do  not  like  thee,  Dr.  Fell, 

The  reason  why  I  cannot  tell, 

But  I  don't  like  thee  Dr.  Fell.'' 

I  hardly  know  what  to  think  of  the  present  ministry  of 
England.  It  is  my  oj  inion  that  they  want  to  put  off  a  war 
with  us  'till  they  can  have  time  to  equip  the  Danish  fleet. 
Perhaps  the  Tories  who  justified  them  in  taking  Copenha- 
gen will  see  the  fruits  of  that  victory  employed  in  burning 
down  their  own  houses.  They  may  then  sing  another 
song.  It  is  very  rarely  that  we  can  come  across  much 
news,  especially  at  this  season  of  the  year.  If  anything 
extraordinary  happens  in  Canada  we  shall  soon  hear  of  it 
here.  Adieii.  To  your  family  present  the  compliments  of 
vour  humble  servant, 

JOHN  S.  SAGE. 

David  G-eiston,  while  hunting  deer  on  Gardiner's  Island, 
in  company  with  the  proprietor  of  the  island,  Mr.  Henry 
P.  Dering,  Capt.  David  Hand  and  others  from  Sag  Harbor, 
was  accidentty  shot  by  Capt.  Hand.  The  hunters  were  or- 
dered to  stand  still,  but  this  young  man  moved  and  there- 
by received  a  death  wound.  He  was  son  or  nephew  of  Mr. 
David  Gelston,  who  was  Collector  of  the  port  of  New-York, 
and  after  whom  he  was  named. 

The  second  letter  is  extremely  interesting  after  the  lapse 
of  eighty-nine  years,  and  such  a  vivid  description  of  the 
faculty  of  Dartmouth  College  at  that  early  date,  written 
by  one  of  its  students,  must  be  rare  in  its  annals. 

It  is  dated  : 

Dartmouth  College,  April  2d,  1808. 
Dear  Sir: 

I  gave  you  in  my  last  some  account  of  our  President, 
and  now  to  complete  fcne  picture,  I  will  say  a  few  words 
concerning  the  other  members  of  the  Government. 

Our  eldest  Professor  is  John  Smith,  D.  D.,  Prof,  of  Latin, 


b  DE.  JOHN  SAGE. 

Greek,  Hebrew  and  the  Oriental  tongues.  B>  is  a  man  of 
very  tenacious  memory,  and  blessed  with  a  considerable 
show  of  application,  which  qualities  are  the  only  requisites 
to  obtain  a  knowledge  of  the  tongues.  He  is  perfect  mas- 
ter of  Latin  and  Greek,  which  are  his  hobby-horses,  but 
when  he  gets  into  the  pulpit  he  sinks  into  nothing.  He  is 
never  properly  in  his  element  unless  at  liic,  hac,  hoc.  He 
is  a  miserable  composuist,  and  indeed  miserable  at  every- 
thing except  the  languages  ;  he  is  ven  jealous  of  his  dig- 
nity, and  is  continually  lecturing  the  class  for  some  fault 
in  that  respect ;  he  is  a  rank  Fed.  and  when  he  gets  upon 
politics  talks  more  like  a  mad  man  than  anything  else ;  he 
is  in  continual  fear  of  Bonaparte,  and  already  imagines  the 
French  bayonets  at  his  side ;  and  finally,  to  say  the  least, 
he  is  a  perfect  ignoramus  in  everything  except  what  relates 
immediately  to  the  languages.  His  Latin  grammar  is  the 
best  extant,  and  has  been  much  approved  of  in  Europe  as 
the  most  useful  work  of  the  kind  ever  published.  So  much 
for  Prof.  Smith. 

Dr.  Nathan  Smith,  Prof,  of  Chemistry  and  Medicine,  is 
pel  haps  the  most  skillful  man  in  his  profession  of  any  in 
the  U.  S.  He  is  the  most  active  man  I  ever  saw ;  he  rides 
continually,  allows  himself  scarcely  any  time  to  sleep,  and 
perhaps  his  practice  is  the  most  extensive  of  any  in  the  U.  S. 
He  has  risen  to  his  present  eminence  mainly  by  his  own 
exertions  ;  he  never  received  a  liberal  education,  and  what 
learning  he  has  he  picked  up  himself.  His  profits  are  im- 
mense, and  were  he  as  frugal  as  the  President  of  the  Col- 
lege he  might  be  as  wealthy  as  any  man  in  the  IJ.  S. 

John  Hubbard,  Prof,  of  Natural  Philosophy  and  Mathe- 
matics, is  the  most  amiable  of  all  the  College  Government. 
There  is  no  man  in  this  country  who  possesses  so  great  a 
knowledge  of  philosophy.  His  knowledge  is  most  of  it 
picked  up  from  his  own  observations,  for  he  never  lets  any 
phenomenon  pass  by  him  without  explaining  it  if  possible. 
He  is  rather  deficient  in  mathematics,  but  he  posesses  the 
most  geographical  knowledge  of  any  man  I  ever  saw.  He 
was  a  soldier  during  the  Revolution,  and  was  I  believe  in 
almost  every  battle  that  took  place, 


DE.  JOHN  SAGE.  7 

Our  last  Prof,  is  Eosuelf  Shirtleff,  Prof,  of  Theology. 
He  is  talked  of  for  President,  but  if  the  present  President 
can  prevent  his  stepping  into  his  shoes  he  will  do  it.  They 
have  been  at  variance  ever  since  Shirtleff  was  chosen,  and 
the  only  reason  for  it  is  because  Shirtleff  is  rather  inde- 
pendent. He  won't  submit  to  everything  the  President 
says,  as  Profs.  Smith  and  Hubbard  will,  but  asserts  his 
own  opinion  sometimes.  Shirtleff  is  in  principle  a  Hop- 
kintonian.  He  has  the  strongest  reasoning  powers  that  I 
most  ever  saw,  but  has  a  very  bad  delivery.  He  is  pretty 
austere,  and  if  he  ever  should  be  president  a  new  leal' 
would  be  turned  over. 

Upon  the  whole,  sir,  tane  our  government  together,  there 
is  not  another  to  be  compared  to  it  in  the  U.  S.  There  is 
not  one  which  is  so  much  respected  by  the  students,  and 
though  they  are  very  wild  here,  and  backward  to  punish, 
there  is  not  another  College  where  there  are  so  few  capers 
cut  or  faults  committed. 

I  am  yours  sincerely, 

JOHN  S.  SAGE. 

His  early  years  were  passed  in  the  quiet  village  of  Sag- 
Harbor,  N.  Y.,  but  the  political  agitations  of  the  period 
pervaded  hamlets  as  well  as  cities.  The  spirit  of  the 
American  Pie  volution  tempered  the  ideas  of  men  with  as 
keen  a  ring  of  patriotism  as  the  blades  of  their  swords  had 
sounded  in  the  clash  of  victory.  They  had  not  yet  grown 
rusty  in  the  scabbard  and  were  familiar  objects  in  the 
household. 

Primitive  methods  of  travel  prevented  political  leaders 
from  massing  their  followers,  or  indeed  having  any  head- 
quarters, and  the  day  of  Clubs  and  Leagues  had  not 
dawned. 

Honorable  Ebenezer  Sage  lived  in  the  house,  still  stand- 
ing, at  the  rear  of  the  Masonic  Hall,  in  Sag-Harbor,  N.  Y. 
It  was  built  by  him,  and  much  of  the  furniture  he  made 


8  DR.  JOHN  SAGE. 

with  his  own  hands,  as  he  was  very  fond  of  amusing  him- 
self with  carpenter's  tools,  also  rather  proud  of  having  his 
house  furnished  in  the  simplest  manner,  which  he  judged 
to  be  in  accordance  with  life  in  a  young  Republic. 

Men  who  were  participants  in  National  affairs  gathered 
by  the  hospitable  fireside,  such  as : 

Thomas  Dering,  of  Shelter  Island,  N.  Y.,  a  member  of 
the  Provincial  Convention,  1775,  also  the  convention  in 
1777,  for  the  purpose  of  forming  the  constitution  of  the 
State  of  New-York  ;  Ezra  L'Hommedieu,  who  had  been  a 
member  of  the  Continental  Congress  and  (with  Thomas 
Deiing)  was  elected  to  the  same  convention  in  1777  ;  Jon- 
athan Havens,  a  member  of  some  of  the  early  Congresses, 
also  of  the  convention  in  1783,  which  adopted  the  Consti- 
tution of  the  United  States ;  Rev.  Lyman  Beecher,  who 
lived  in  East-Hamplon,  N.  Y.,  and  was  an  orator  and  di- 
vine who  was  fond  of  displaying  his  intellectual  ability  of 
hurling  into  the  midst  of  this  coterie  as  well  as  from  the 
pulpit,  metaphysical  propositions  with  powerful  theolopi- 
cal  dexterity.  (Without  doubt,  Priest  Buell,  his  predeces- 
sor, who  lived  in  East-Hampton  during  the  exciting  times 
of  the  Revolution,  laid  his  hand  in  baptism  and  blessing 
on  the  head  of  John  when  an  infant.) 

General  Sylvester  Dering,  of  Shelter  Island,  N.  Y.,  who 
was  noted  for  tender  piety  and  patriotic  fidelity  ;  he  was  a 
member  of  the  State  Assembly  and  served  for  the  interests 
of  Suffolk  County  ;  Henry  Packer  Dering,  brother  cf  Syl- 
vester, who  was  appointed  Collector  of  the  port  of  Sag- 
Harbor  by  Cen.  Washington  ;  (Sylvester  and  Henry  were 
sons  of  Thomas  Dering) ;  Dr.  Abel  Huntington,  of  East- 
Hampton,  N.  Y.,  a  member  of  Congress  ;  Abraham  Rose, 
of  Bridge-Hampton,  and  others,  with  names  of  estimation, 
were  the  associates  of  his  father. 


BE.  JOHN  SAGE.  \) 

Intercourse  with  such  men  influenced  the  young  mind  of 
John  Sage,  which  retained  the  impress  so  given,  that  in 
mature  life  his  society  was  sought  by  persons  of  high  posi- 
tion in  State  affairs,  who  listened  with  the  keenest  appre- 
ciation to  interesting,  pithy  and  truthful  assertions  regard- 
ing events  and  schemes  of  the  days  of  Jefferson,  Madison, 
Burr  and  cotemporaries. 

The  following  incident  of  school  days  the  Doctor  often 
told  to  the  boys  and  girls  of  our  family,  and  we  children 
thought  it  so  good  that  we  called  it  "The  Bell  Story." 

Clinton  Academy  is  one  of  the  oldest  in  the  State  of  New 
York.  It  was  founded  1784,  and  named  in  honor  of  George 
Clinton,  Governor  of  the  State.  During  his  second  term 
he  presented  the  bell,  and  for  this  purpose  visited  East- 
Hampton.  The  occasion  was  one  of  celebration  and  Gov. 
Clinton  was  entertained  with  much  ceremony  by  East- 
Hampton  people.  The  Doctor  related  the  story  in  the 
following  style  : 

THE  BELL  STORY. 

"I  remember  the  Governor's  visit  to  East-Hampton.  It 
made  a  great  stir  in  the  town,  and  as  the  Academy  was  the 
first  place  at  which  he  was  to  present  himself,  of  course  it 
was  there  that  the  people  congregated.  I  was  a  very  ab- 
sent-minded boy  of  twelve  or  thirteen  years  of  age.  My 
skin  was  very  white  and  I  well  remember  the  freckles. 
My  hair  was  red,  my  eyes  dark  brown,  so  you  see  that  I 
was  not  a  pretty  boy.  The  teachers  assiduously,  but  inef- 
fectually, tried  to  induce  me  to  dress  up,  so  that  by  my 
personal  appearance  I  might  express  a  due  respect  for  his 
'Excellency.'  The  boys  were  ordered  to  be  in  line  on  the 
street  in  front  of  the  Academy,  and  everybody  was  await- 
ing the  great  arrival  which  was  to  be  heralded  by  the 
blowing  of  a  horn  as  the  stage  entered  Buell's  Lane. 

"Seeing    mv    comrades    dressed    in    their   best    clothes 


10  DB.  JOHN  SAGE. 

caused  me  to  reflect,  and  I  decided  that  I  ought  in  some 
fashion  to  acknowledge  the  demands  of  the  day.  I  was 
barefooted,  as  we  boys  generally  were  week  days  during 
the  summer,  (always  on  Town  Meeting  day  in  the  spring 
boys  were  allowed  to  go  without  their  shoes  and  stockings) 
and  in  a  spirit  of  enthusiasm  off  1  ran  to  the  town  pump 
and  showered  my  feet  under  the  spout.  /  have  ever  since 
regretted  this  act,  because  I  made  myself  more  conspicuous 
by  their  whiteness,  and  the  boys  set  up  such  a  laugh  ;  yes, 
and  some  girls. 

"The  stage  horn  sounded,  the  bell  rung,  and  the  stage 
came  into  view  at  the  turning  of  the  lane  into  the  street ; 
the  scholars  waved  their  caps  and  hurrahed !  hurrahed ! 
hurrahed!  After  this  a  boy  stepped  forward  and  pro- 
nounced an  address  of  welcome  to  the  Governor.  Colonel 
Samuel  Huntting  was  the  proud  orator.  He  was  a  hand- 
some boy,  and  he  did  it  admirably. 

"We  had  to  be* very  respectful  to  our  elders.  Boys 
were  fined  for  not  raising  their  caps  to  the  teachers,  and 
parents  were  fined  if  we  were  seen  on  the  street  after  nine 
o'clock  at  night." 

Mrs.  Lyman  Beecher,  the  mother  of  Henry  Ward  Beech- 
er  and  Harriet  Beecher  Stowe,  had  a  boarding  School  for 
young  ladies  in  East-Hampton,  N.  Y.  Fanny  Sage,  John's 
only  sister,  was  one  of  the  pupils.  They  were  taught  the 
accomplishments  then  fashionable,  and  in  painting  and  em- 
broidery a  degree  of  excellence  was  attained  quite  equal  to 
that  of  the  present  day.  Samples  of  exquisite  needlework 
done  by  some  of  these  girls  are  occasionally  to  be  seen  in 
the  homes  of  descendants.  The  subjects  often  were  classi- 
cal, such  as  "Hector's  Parting  with  Andromache."  The 
stitches  of  various  colored  silks  give  the  effect  of  painting 
on  black  or  white  satin.  The  date,  with  name  and  age  of 
worker,  preserved  under  glass,  in  a  frame  of  antique  device, 
adds  to  the  interest  of  these  treasured  heirlooms.  Mrs. 
Beecher  painted  miniatures,  and  she  was  a  lady  of  superior 


DR.  JOHN  .SAGE.  11 

mind  and  graces.  (See  an  account  of  this  school  in  Auto- 
biography of  Dr.  Lyman  Beecher,  London,  1863,  Chap.  22, 
Vol.  I. 

Extracts  from  a  Manuscript  Account  of  the  Opening 
of  Clinton  Academy. 

"The  Academy  was  opened  January,  1785.  The  exer- 
cises began  with  psalmody  suited  to  the  occasion,  which 
was  followed  with  prayer  and  sermon  by  Key.  Dr.  Buell, 
from  Acts  vii,  22. 

"Miss  Fanny  Bysam,*  with  more  than  usual  elegance, 
pronounced  'The  Messiah,'  by  Mr.  Pope,  and  was  succeed- 
ed by  Mr.  John  Gardiner,  who  with  a  dignity  of  eloquence 
superior  to  his  age  pronounced  the  following  oration." 

We  cannot  give  the  oration,  as  it  is  too  lengthy,  but  copy 
some  of  his  expressions  in  regard  to  the  improved  accom- 
modations : 

"The  house  in  which  we  are  now  met  is  by  far  the  most 
elegant  that  many  of  us  have  ever  seen." 

"The  apartments  to  which  we  are  this  day  introduced 
are  every  way  calculated  for  our  delight,  our  comfort,  our 
convenience." 

"To  be  thus  accommodated,  you  must  be  sensible,  is 
greatly  to  our  advantage,  yet  they  are  but  outlines  of  that 
attention  which  is  to  be  bestowed  on  our  education." 

"Now  say,  my  ingenuous  mates,  what  are  your  feelings 
who  have  heretofore  thought  it  a  preciou*  opportunity  to 
get  but  one  month's  schooling  in  our  little  dark  forsaken 

cell  r 

As  he  looks  forward  he  sees  going  forth  from  the  insti- 
tution "the  dexterous  clerk,  the  competent  accountant,  the 
renowned  orator,  the  eminent  physician,  the  judicious 
statesman,  the  venerable  divine,  and  with  them  the  accom- 
plished fair  to  give  society  its  highest  tastes." 

This  oration  was   written  on  between   three    and  four 


My  grand  mother. 


12  DR.    JOHN  SAGE. 

sheets  of  foolscap,  and  after  speaking  of  the  Revolutionary 
struggle  which  was  recently  passed,  giving  due  honor  to 
Otis,  Franklin  and  Adams,  not  forgetting  the  "Age  of  Rea- 
son," he  closed  with  appropriate  addresses  to  his  school- 
mates and  to  the  citizens  through  whose  efforts  the  insti- 
tution was  founded. 

The  prophecies  of  John  Gardiner  have  been  fulfiled. 
Many  who  have  occupied  honorable  positions  in  merchan- 
tile,  professional,  political  and  literary  careers  were  pupils 
at  Clinton  Academy.  Among  the  "accomplished  fair"  are 
ladies  who  have  graced  society's  highest  circles. 

One  of  the  teachers  was  the  father  of  John  H.  Payne, 
the  author  of  "Home,  Sweet  Home,"  whose  childhood  was 
passed  in  this  peaceful  village,  and  no  doubt  impressed 
his  mind  with  the  spirit  of  that  world-wide  known  song. 

This  digression  is  made  because  of  the  connection  of 
John  Sage's  boyhood  with  Clinton  Academy.  The  build- 
ing is  still  standing  and  visited  with  interest  by  sojourners 
in  this  summer  retreat. 


CHAPTER  III 

MANHOOD. 

After  graduating  from  Dartmouth,  Sage  studied  medicine 
with  his  father ;  also  in  the  city  of  New-York.  At  this 
date  colleges  where  the  study  of  theology,  medicine  and 
law  could  be  pursued,  as  now,  were  uuknown  in  America. 
It  was  the  custom  for  a  person  desiring  one  of  these  pro- 
fessions to  study  with  some  one  of  these  callings,  pass  an 
examination,  and  receive  a  license  to  practice  or  follow  the 
vocation  of  a  minister. 

John  Sage  was  a  close  student  of  mathematical  tastes. 
His  vigorous  mind  did  not  shrink  from  solitary  research  in 
science,  while  love  for  his  mother  seemed  to  satisfy  his 
heart's  desires. 

At  this  period  his  father  was  considered  with  the  highest 
esteem  throughout  Suffolk  County,  N.  Y.,  and  Congression- 
al life  in  Washington  made  him  known  to  various  persons 
of  distinction.  He  desired  his  son  to  accept  some  position 
more  advantageous  for  his  abilities  than  available  in  a  re- 
tired and  almost  isolated  locality  like  the  eastern  part  of 
Long  Island  at  that  date.  He  wanted  him  to  have  a  polit- 
ical career.  He  was  exceedingly  displeased  and  deeply 
regretted  that  the  young  man  declined  the  position  of 
private  secretary  to  Gallatin,  then  our  minister  to  the 
Court  of  France.  He  had  given  him  the  best  advantages 
of  education  to  be  obtained  in  America. 

Though  John  was  eccentric  in  manners,  yet  a  talent  for 
humor,  brilliant  and  instructive  conversational  capacity 
made  the  young  man  a  most  agreeable  companion. 

His  scientific  and  literary  tastes  were  within  the  range 


14  DR.  JOHN  SAGE. 

of  mathematics,  chemistry  and  languages  ;  but  such  was 
his  retiring  disposition,  bashfuiness,  and  sensitiveness  to 
public  opinion,  that  the  combination  in  temperament 
amounted  almost  to  an  affliction.  His  friends  were  indig- 
nant at  his  scorn  of  the  "pomps  and  vanities,"  and  still 
more  at  the  extreme  shyness  of  fellow  beings. 

Dr.  Sage  said  that  a  crowd  was  a  bete  noir  always  for 
him.  How  different  might  have  been  his  life  and  renowned 
his  reputation  if  he  had  not  chosen  to  be  a  recluse. 

His  sister,  Fanny  Sage,  married  Dr.  Lawton  and  settled 
in  Mobile,  Ala.,  and  Dr.  Sage,  influenced  by  this  circum- 
stance, went  there  to  begin  the  practice  of  medicine. 
Strange  to  say,  it  was  very  distasteful  to  him,  but  the  study 
of  the  healing  art  was  the  charm.  Profound  thought,  cau- 
tion and  skill  were  the  marked  characteristics  of  the  prac- 
titioner. 

His  experience  in  Mobile  was  very  sad.  Mrs.  Lawton 
and  her  husband  took  the  yellow  fever,  from  which  they 
died.  Dr.  Sage  also  had  it,  but  when  sufficiently  recovered 
returned  to  his  father's  house  in  Sag-Harbor,  N.  Y.  For 
months  his  health  in  consequence  suffered.  When  able  to 
walk  the  short  distance  between  the  house  and  that  of  the 
intimate  neighbor,  Henry  P.  Dering,  (now  the  Douglass 
house  on  Union  street)  he  was  obliged  to  support  himself 
step  by  step  by  holding  to  the  fence. 

When  he  became  better  he  aided  his  father  for  awhile  in 
the  care  of  the  sick.  Subsequently  he  spent  quite  a  period 
of  time  in  New -York,  Philadelphia  and  other  cities. 

He  took  a  voyage  to  the  Isle  of  France,  where  the  ro- 
mance of  Paul  and  Yirginia  was  laid,  and  he  always  enjoyed 
recalling  the  scenes  of  the  -visit  to  this  beautiful  isle. 
In  these  sojourns  a  knowledge  of  the  world  was  gained 
and  his  character  became  more  reliant. 


DR.  JOHN  SAGE.  15 

A  serious  love  affair  in  New- York,  with  a  southern  lady, 
which  unfortunately  proved  "that  the  course  of  true  love 
does  not  run  smooth,"  (sometimes)  was  the  only  one  which 
ever  came  to  light.  He  was  not  "a  ladies'  man,"  yet  ladies 
enjoyed  his  society  and  felt  honored  and  flattered  by  any 
attention  from  him.  Once  in  extreme  old  age,  when  ban- 
tered as  to  his  bachelorhood,  he  replied  in  a  light  hearted 
manner,  "I  once  had  a  deary."  It  was  a  surprise,  and  the 
thought  came  to  mind  : 

"The  past  is  not,  but  memory  gives 
Her  brightest  hues  to  days  gone  by." 

"When  asked  why  he  never  married,  the  usual  reply  was : 
"It  is  not  in  my  power  to  make  a  woman  happy,  and  surely 
I  do  not  wish  to  make  any  woman  unhappy."  As  to  the 
popular  opinion  that  a  physician  was  more  sought  after 
when  a  married  man,  he  said :  "that  is  a  fallacy  not  worth 
disputing  when  compared  with  real  professional  merit." 

Dr.  Sage  believed  that  most  sickness  was  the  result  of  a 
fault  or  imprudence  regarding  general  laws  of  health,  be- 
cause of  the  pravailing  ignorance  of  these  laws.  Other- 
wise folly  and  accidents  were  the  causes.  Among  his 
opinions  the  following  come  to  mind  : 

"Most  drugs  effect  more  harm  than  good." 

"Most  ailments  could  be  alleviated,  and  in  many  cases 
cured,  by  diet  and  rest." 

"Each  person  has  his  own  degree  of  tempeiature  for 
comfort  :  sixty  degrees  for  one,  eighty  for  another.  Noth- 
ing is  more  irritating  than  arbitrary  methods  in  this  mat- 
ter." 

"The  fear  of  pain  should  not  be  encouraged.  Bodily 
rain  and  mental  suffering  were  for  the  good  of  humanity 
and  a  guide  to  the  physician  in  his  diagnosis." 

Anesthetics  and  narcotics  were  only  to  be  used  in  ex- 
treme cases,  and  their  frequent  use,  as  at  the  present  day, 
deeply  deplored. 


16  I>K.  JOHN  SAGE. 

"Never  disregard  the  crying  of  a  child.  Try  at  once  to 
make  it  comfortable.  Care  for  its  body  and  govern  its 
temper." 

He  thought  that  the  preparation  of  medical  prescrip- 
tions was  a  part  of  a  physician's  duties,  and  should  be  of 
his  medical  education.  The  few  remedies  that  he  used 
were  compounded  with  care  by  himself.  He  said,  "Phar- 
macy would  not  have  attained  so  lucrative  a  place  in  busi- 
ness, if  doctors  had  continued  the  old  fashioned  way  of 
making  pills,  powders,  salves,  jalaps  and  drops. 

Dr.  Sage  was  very  fond  of  music,  and  played  the  violin 
with  grace  and  skill.  He  was  an  accomplished  whistler. 
He  was  familiar  with  the  operas  and  dramas  of  the  day, 
and  when  in  the  city  frequented  the  opeia  house  and  the 
theatre.  He  was  a  superior  whist  player.  "When  oppor- 
tunity offered  he  liked  to  listen  to  ministers  of  repute. 
The  Presbyterian  Church  was  his  choice,  however  his  mind 
was  well  stored  with  knowledge  of  different  forms  of  relig- 
ions and  with  bible  truths. 

In  the  village  home  only  his  intimates  suspected  or 
knew  of  these  traits.  Here  he  studied,  composed,  trans- 
lated and  experimented,  and  within  the  rich  resources  of 
his  mind  found  employment. 

In  conversation  he  excelled  and  in  company  he  was  the 
leading  man.  His  personal  appearance  inspired  respect 
and  deference.  He  was  a  tail  man  of  large  frame,  well 
proportioned. 

With  intimate  friends  he  was  often  absent-minded,  and 
Mrs.  William  E.  Sleight  relates,  that  one  evening,  when  at 
her  father's  house,  (H.  P.  Dering)  with  her  young  brothers 
and  sisters,  he  withdrew  from  the  genial  group  into  a  cor- 
ner and  for  an  hour  watched  the  flame  of  a  candle  which 
he  held.     None  of  the  company  thought  of  interfering  or 


DR.  JOHN  SAGE.  17 

criticising,  for  they  knew  that  some  scientific  puzzle  was 
"being  investigated.     "It  was  one  of  John's  ways," 

This  lady  also  tells  that  he  undertook  to  construct  a 
balloon.  Her  brother  Thomas  was  taken  into  his  confi- 
dence and  aided  him.  The  lower  story  of  the  old  Arsenal, 
which  stood  on  Union  street,  near  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
was  used  for  the  workshop.  He  made  various  instruments 
for  mathematical  measurements,  such  as  barometer,  ther- 
mometer, and  time-keeper.  These  were  of  his  own  inven- 
tion. Books  were  not  as  common  as  now,  especially  trans- 
lations, and  he  translated  for  friends  stories  from  Latin 
and  French  writers. 

He  loved  to  impart  knowledge,  but  rot  display  his  in- 
ventions. "We  children,  with  whom  he  was  associated,  can 
never  forget  how  gracious  was  his  manner  when  he  helped 
u.  sometimes  with  our  lessons.  Not  anything  like  the 
pedant  scared  us,  and  names  might  be  mentioned  of  men 
and  women  who  have  told  us  that  to  Dr.  Sage  they  owe  a 
debt  of  gratitude  for  their  culture  in  literature. 

The  mathematics  of  LePlace  he  studied  in  the  French, 
and  discovered  and  corrected  some  errors  of  calculation, 
which  were  shown  and  proved  to  a  few  who  were  able  to 
comprehend  the  work. 

A  gentleman  told  me  that  an  intricate  account  involving 
a  large  sum  of  money  connected  with  the  settlement  of  a 
whaling  voyage  caused  much  disagreement,  and  it  seemed 
necessary  that  an  expert  accountant  would  have  to  be  em- 
ployed to  adjust  it.  Some  one  suggested  that  it  be  shown 
to  Dr.  Sage.  This  was  done,  and  in  an  incredibly  short 
time  the  computations  were  made  correct  and  satisfactory 
to  all  concerned.  The  Doctor  would  not  receive  any  re- 
muneration, saying  it  was  a  simple  matter  to  him  and  gave 
him  great   pleasure  to  be  of  any  assistance.     Otherwise  it 


18  DR.  JOHN  SAGE. 

would  have  cost  a  good  deal  and  involved  perhaps  a  lawsuit. 

A  LETTER. 

In  concluding  this  chapter  we  give  the  following  inter- 
esting letter  regarding  Doctor  Sage  irom  Judge  Charles  P. 
Daly,  President  of  the  American  Geographical  Society : 
Miss  Mulford. 

You  no  doubt  know  that  there  was  a  period  in  the  world's 
history  when  the  icy  region  of  the  Arctic  had  a  warm  clim- 
ate, equivalent  to  that  of  South  Carolina,  as  is  attested  by 
the  fossil  remains  of  large  trees  that  grew  there,  specimens 
of  the  trunks  of  which  are  to  be  seen  in  European  museums. 
Trees  still  grow  there  and  attain  considerable  age,  but  so 
very  small  that  Dr.  Hays  told  me  that  he  could  cover  a 
forest  of  them  with  his  hat. 

Since  the  discovery  that  the  Arctic  had  once  a  warm 
climate,  some  six  or  seven  theories  have  been  advanced  by 
scientific  men,  to  account  for  a  state  of  things  there  in  the 
past  which  now  seems  so  extraordinary,  among  whom  was 
an  English  Colonel  of  scientific  attainments,  who  wrote  a 
book  to  establish  that  a  warm  climate  formerly  in  the  Arc- 
tic was  owing  to  what  is  known  as  the  Precession  of  the 
Equinoxes,  a  slow,  continual  change  of  the  position  of  the 
earth  toward  the  sun,  from  east  to  west ;  a  spiral  move- 
ment which  occupies  about  25,000  years,  and  this  move- 
ment, which  has  been  known  from  the  time  of  the  Greeks, 
he  undertook  to  establish  by  a  series  of  astronomical  cal- 
culations founded  upon  observations,  brought  the  Arctic  at 
one  period  of  this  spiral  rotation,  so  directly  under  the 
sun's  rays  and  heat  as  to  give  it  the  warm  climate  which 
undoubtedly  it  formerly  possessed. 

Being  interested  in  the  subject  I  got  the  book,  and  after 
reading  it  I  thought  if  the  theory  were  probable,  if  all  the 
computations  and  facts  stated  in  it  were  correct,  of  which 
I  was  not  competent  to  judge  and  knowing  that  Dr.  Sage 
was  not  only  a  profound  mathematician  but  a  man  of  ex- 
tensive astronomical  knowledge,  I  sent  the  book  to  him  to 
knoAV  what  he  should  say  to  it,  and  the  following  day  he 
returned  it,  with  a  memorandum  stating  that  some  of  the 


DR.  JOHN  SAGE.  19 

computations  were  numerically  incorrect ;  that  others  were 
founded  upon  conjectural  observation  that  astronomically 
were  of  no  value,  as  the  instruments  did  not  then  exist  by 
which  accurate  observations  could  be  made,  and  that  the 
boon  therein  did  not  prove  anything. 

That  he  should  have  come  to  this  conclusion  was  not  in 
itself  remarkable,  but  that  he  should  within  twenty-four 
hours  have  not  only  read  the  book,  which  was  a  good-sized 
duodecimo,  but  have  mastered  it  going  over  all  its  compu- 
tations and  testing  all  its  astronomical  statements,  shows 
what  a  mathematician  he  was  and  how  thorough  his  knowl- 
edge of  astronomy. 

I  once  told  him  that  he  was  the  first  person  I  had  met 
who  had  read  LaPlace's  Mecanique  Celeste  entirely  through 
and  his  answer  was :  "that  was  a  pleasure  to  be  enjoyed 
but  once." 

I  took  Baron  Osten  Sacken,  the  Russian  Charge,  and 
afterwards  the  Russian  Consul  General  in  New-York,  and 
a  distinguished  entomologist,  who  was  visiting  me,  to  see 
the  Doctor,  and  he  was  struck  as  I  have  been,  with  his  in- 
tellectual appearance  and  lofty  forehead,  for  he  was  in  ap- 
pearance more  like  Baron  Alexander  Humbolt  than  any 
man  I  have  ever  seen.  Baron  Osten  Sacken  had  a  long 
and  interesting  conversation  with  him  and  when  he  came 
away  said  :  'I  was  never  more  surprised  than  to  find  such 
a  looking  man  with  such  acquirements  in  a  little  place  like 
this,  where  you  say,  or  its  vicinity,  he  has  passed  his  whole 
life.  The  place  where  you  would  expect  to  see  such  a  man 
would  be  in  the  Prussian  Senate." 

Very  truly  yours, 

Chas.  P.  Daly, 

Sept.  1896.  North  Haven. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

DECLINING  DAYS. 

When  about  sixty  years  old  Doctor  Sage  gave  up  the  ac- 
tive practice  of  medicine  and  zealously  sought  seclusion  to 
enjoy  study  and  repose.  He  built  for  himself  a  small 
house  of  his  own  peculiar  plan,  on  the  street  at  the  rear  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church,  at  that  time  a  quiet  by-street. 
His  laboratory,  sleeping  room,  library  and  "living  room," 
were  arranged  as  to  be  convenient,  just  for  liis  own  com- 
fort. He  was  the  last  of  his  family.  His  nearest  relatives, 
the  Spencers  and  Seldens,  from  Middletown,  Ct.,  made 
yearly  visits,  which  were  mutually  enjoyed. 

Old  friendships  were  not  relinquished,  and  when  the 
Doctor  made  a  call  by  the  fireside  of  those  who  had  been 
friends  for  years  his  hearty  laugh  and  reminiscenses  made 
the  visit  very  welcome.  If  his  strongest  attachments  were 
for  men,  he  confessed  to  enjoying  ladies'  society.  His 
manners  were  of  the  olden  times  and  very  courteous. 

Among  those  with  whom  he  was  accustomed  to  visit  in- 
formally and  socially  might  be  mentioned  the  families  of 
Sleights,  Hunt  tings,  Derings,  Mrs.  John  Fordham,  Mr. 
John  Sherry,  Mulfords,  Nicolls,  Gardiners  and  L'Homme- 
dieu.  Among  the  last  occasions  at  which  he  appeared  in 
society  was  at  the  marriage  of  Miss  Mary  Sherry  to  Col. 
Peter  French.  There  was  dancing  at  the  wedding.  The 
Doctor  was  watching  and  probably  comparing  the  modern 
style  with  that  of  former  days,  when  Mrs.  Dering  asked : 
"Well,  Doctor,  what  do  you  think  of  it  ?"  He  gravely  re- 
plied :  "It  looks  like  a'  very  serious  affair." 

Without  doubt  he  was  on  the  most  intimate  terms  in  the 


DR.  JOHN  SAGE.  21 

Dering  family.  After  the  death  of  his  father,  which  left 
the  hearth  desolate,  while  continuing  to  live  in  the  old 
home  until  breaking  up,  he  took  his  meals  with  the  Derings. 
In  1840  Lodowick  Dering,  a  son  of  H.  P.  Dering,  married 
Eliza  Gracie  Mulford.  Her  family  and  the  Doctor  were 
old  friends  as  well  as  that  of  her  husband.  When  the 
young  couple  went  to  housekeeping  in  the  house  on  Hamp- 
ton street,  where  Mrs.  Dering  always  lived,  the  three  took 
the  first  meal  together,  and  for  forty-four  years  Doctor  was 
the  daily  companion  at  the  table. 

Until  about  1870,  when  infirmities  began  to  prevent  at 
times,  no  matter  what  the  weather,  he  went  to  and  fro  from 
his  house  ;  and  so  exact  the  path  and  methodical  the  hour, 
that  one  could  safety  regulate  a  watch  at  8,12  and  6  o'clock 
as  the  aged  man  passed  for  breakfast,  dinner  and  supper. 
This  long  intercourse  was  without  one  episode  of  discord. 
It  resembled  that  between  father  and  daughter,  and  re- 
minds one  of  the  long  friendship  and  solicitude  of  Mrs. 
Unwin  for  the  poet  Cowper.  It  was  like  what  Emerson 
meant  by — 

"Happy  the  house  that  shelters  a  friend  !" 
also — 

"The  elements  of  friendship  are  truth  and  tenderness!" 

We  children  saw  its  beautiful  existence,  and  it  is  with  a 
kind  of  emotion  of  reverence  that  any  details  are  related. 

Mrs.  Dering's  qualities  of  mind  and  person  could  entice 
a  student  from  books  and  charm  a  recluse  into  a  genial  and 
entertaining  companion.  Her  thorough  belief  in  the  Doc- 
tor's superiority  of  knowledge,  and  assuming  the  humble 
attitude  of  pupil,  won  his  confidence  so  that  he  would  often 
think  aloud  in  her  presence. 

Thus  it  was  that  many  a  scientific  matter  which  is  vet 
not  known  or  undeveloped  was  unfolded  to  h«r.  Her  real 
and  often  pretended  ignorance  of  obtruse   subjects,  united 


22  DE.  JOHN  SAGE. 

with  witty  and  whimsical  comments,  gave  the  pleasure  like 
that  Mozart  enjoyed  when  explaining  musical  composition 
to  his  unmusical  housekeeper. 

After  three-score  and  ten  years  old  Dr.  Sage  deliberately 
burnt  up  the  greater  part  of  his  written  calculation  and 
translations.  This  deed  destroyed  works  on  mathematics, 
chemistry,  astronomy  and  languages.  When  remonstrated 
with  and  the  loss  lamented,  he  replied  :  "When  the  time 
that  they  are  wanted  comes  someone  will  find  out  for  them- 
selves." 

THE  FIRE. 

One  morning  the  bachelor  home  took  fire  and  burned 
down.  It  was  thought  that  its  solitary  occupant  would 
mourn  it  as  a  great  loss.  He  was  about  eighty-five  years 
old.  He  refused  to  leave  the  blazing  house  until  he  got 
ready,  saying,  "I  know  what  I  am  about."  With  wonder- 
ful composure  he  directed  the  work  of  saving  what  was 
possible,  and  from  time  to  time  would  feel  of  the  hot  walls 
in  order  to  judge  how  much  longer  it  was  wise  to  tarry. 
The  crowd  outside  said,  "The  old  man  won't  come  out ;  he 
means  to  burn  up."  Mrs.  Dering  had  come  and  repeated- 
ly warned  him  of  danger  ;  at  last,  covered  with  the  ancient 
looking  camlet  cloak,  with  velvet  collar  and  silver  clasp, 
the  broad  brimmed  hat  on  his  head,  the  Doctor  with  the 
faithful  friend  appeared. 

Through  the  throng,  assembled  as  usual  on  such  occa- 
sions, and  to  whom  the  venerable  man  was  looked  upon 
with  curiosity  or  regard,  they  walked,  silently,  dignified, 
to  her  house,  apparently  not  affected  by  the  circumstance 
ot  a  little  house  being  destroyed.  At  noon  his  dinner  was 
heartily  eaten  and  the  matter  treated  as  an  accident  liable 
to  happen  "in  the  course  of  human  events." 

The  following  seven  years  this  was  his  home.  Early  in 
married  life  Mrs.  Dering  had  become   a  widow,  with  two 


DR.  JOHN  SAGE.  23 

sons.  These  boys  grew  to  manhood,  while  their  mother 
seemed  still  to  the  Doctor's  eyes  the  cheery,  girlish  com- 
panion as  of  old.  This  role  was  from  habit  unconsciously 
sustained  while  striving  to  make  these  days  happy. 

His  faculties  were  unimpaired  until  about  eighty-nine 
years  old,  when  failing  memory  as  to  recent  events,  and 
frequent  hallucinations,  made  the  hours  weary  for  him  and 
anxious  for  her. 

There  is  a  French  proverb,  "That  without  woman  the 
two  extremities  of  life  would  be  devoid  of  succor,  and  the 
middle  of  pleasure."  It  seemed  as  if  Sage  had  somewhat 
boasted  of  being  independent  of  the  latter  clause,  but  in 
youth  and  in  age  a  mother  and  friend  contributed  to  his 
comfort.  The  clever  and  witty  tricks  to  which  Mrs.  D.  re- 
sorted when  making;  believe  to  fall  in  with  his  hallucina- 
tions  and  gently  leading  the  feeble  mind  back  to  reality 
was  a  trial  and  strain  to  nerves,  only  comprehended  by 
those  who  have  had  a  like  experience.  We  will  try  to  des- 
cribe one  or  two  of  these  occurrences  just  to  show  the  re- 
sources of  this  charming  lady  on  such  occasions. 

The  Doctor  became  so  childish  that  he  did  not  like  to 
be  alone,  except  for  a  few  moments  at  a  time,  but  constant- 
ly followed  Mrs.  Dering  or  was  seeking  her.  One  evening 
they  were  sitting  by  the  fireside.  The  Doctor  wore  his  hat 
and  seemed  to  be  in  deep  meditation,  while  Mrs.  Dering 
was  busy  knitting.  The  time  was  silently  and  peacefully 
prssing  when  three  friends  called.  They  were  asked  to  sit 
in  the  hall,  just  by  the  open  door.  In  this  way  she  could 
enjoy  the  "running  in"  of  neices  and  neighbors,  without 
disturbing  the  reveries  of  the  Doctor,  who  had  become 
quite  blind  and  deaf.  They  were  spectators  to  the  follow- 
ing off-hand  drama.  During  a  social  converse  with  the 
visitors,  Doctor  slowly  turned  toward  her  and  said  : 


24  DR.  JOHN  SAGE. 

"Liizy,  where  are  we  now  ?" 

This  remark  sounded  like  delirium,  but  equally  so  did 
her  immediate  reply : 

''Why,  Doctor,  we're  aground." 

"Oh,"  was  his  placid  comment,  and  he  arranged  his  po- 
sition to  a  poise  as  of  one  sailing  when  becalmed  and  the 
boat  gets  aground,  and  there  is  nothing  to  do  but  wait  pa- 
tiently for  a  breeze. 

Conversation  was  resumed  without  an  allusion  to  the 
side  act.  At  the  end  of  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour  Doctor 
began  to  look  leisurely  around  the  room,  and  remarks  : 

"Liizy,  our  accommodations  are  very  comfortable  in  this 
packet."     (This  word  packet  for  sloop  is  obsolete.) 

Falling  again  into  the  hallucination  she  at  once  replied  : 
"Yes  ;  those  bunks  look  very  clean.  It  is  tedious  being- 
becalmed,  but  we  shall  get  off  soon,  for  there  comes  a  puff 
of  wind." 

Doctor  thought  they  were  sailing  across  the  sound  from 
New  London  to  Sag-Harbor.  He  was  living  over  some  by- 
gone day.  Gradually  and  tenderly  he  was  led  to  imagine 
that  the  wind  had  changed  and  was  floating  them  into  port. 

Another  time,  during  a  blinding  snow  stoim,  after  dark, 
he  had  an  hallucination  that  he  was  about  to  start  from 
Brooklyn  by  stage  for  home,  as  fifty  years  previous  was  the 
way  to  travel.  To  have  opposed  him  would  have  aroused 
a  fury  more  dangerous  with  the  mental  feebleness  than  ex- 
posure to  the  storm.  He  insisted  upon  going  out  of  doors 
and  she  was  puzzled  how  to  manage  the  case.  Soon  the 
bright  eyes  beamed  with  a  brilliant  idea ;  at  least  it  was  an 
expedient.     Calling  a  maid  to  her  assistance  she  said  : 

"Show  this  gentleman  to  the  stage.  It  storms  so  against 
the  front  door  that  he  must  go  out  of  the  back  door,  around 
the  house  to  the  front  gate,  where  the  stage  is  waiting." 


DR.  JOHN  SAGE.  25 

Doctor  followed  the  maid,  and  after  floundering  in  the 
snow  his  brain  became  cooler  than  his  body  and  the  hallu- 
cination vanished.  In  the  meantime  she  hastened  to  the 
front  door,  ready  to  act  the  part  of  welcoming  a  traveller, 
but  it  was  not  necessary. 

Realizing  the  situation  and  the  artifice,  he  praised  her 
quick  wit,  laughed  at  the  ruse,  but  pitifully  lamented  the 
necessity,  saying  : 

"I  never  thought  that  my  mind  would  fail  before  my 
body.     That  was  an  illusion." 

Contrary  to  the  usual  manner  of  old  age  he  did  not  lose 
interest  in  current  topics.  When  told  of  inventions  and 
discoveries  he  did  not  doubt  nor  ridicule  but  was  pleased 
with  accurate  descriptions.  He  would  describe  and  foretell 
its  possibilities  and  commonly  remark,  with  animation  : 
'  Indeed  !  the  deuce  !  "Well,  if  the  fellows  have  found  out 
that  secret  the  world  will  be  greatly  benefitted." 

He  was  very  particular  in  business  dealings  and  at  this 
period  would  so  often  say  to  any  one  doing  him  a  favor, 
no  matter  how  trifling,  "Allow  me  to  recompense  you,"  and 
perhaps  recklessly  hand  a  greenback  or  coin  without  any 
appreciation  of  its  value,  that  it  came  into  Mrs.  Bering's 
mind  to  substitute  some  imitation  bills  in  his  pocket-book 
with  which  he  could  be  lavish  in  generosity ;  therefore  she 
cut  out  of  green  tissue  paper  these  imitation  bills.  He 
found  them  in  his  vest  pocket  but  they  did  not  answer  the 
purpose  very  long.  Afrer  a  day  of  feeling  and  scrutinizing 
the  paper  he  came  to  Mrs.  D.  with  one  in  his  hand  and 
said,  "JLiizy,  this  is  not  money ;  what  have  you  been  do- 
ing V  Sou  are  very  smart,  but  I  am  too  much  for  you,  I 
am  afraid." 

Often  by  himself,  he  was  fond  of  repeating  long  passages 
from  the  poets,  and  well  do  we  remember  hearing  page  af- 


26  DK.  JOHN  SAGE. 

ter  page  from  Hudibras,  arjd  tlie  heart}'  laugh  at  the  satire, 
just  as  if  it  was  a  recent  production. 

Thus  declining  days  "were  brightened  until  the  weary  one 
was  relieved  of  the  burden  of  his  earthly  life.  Dr.  John 
Sage  died  in  1882,  in  his  ninety-third  year. 

The  cessation  of  the  companionship,  friendship  and  so- 
licitude which  had  existed  for  so  long  a  time  as  forty-four 
years  made  a  void  in  the  life  of  Eliza  Gracie  Dering.  Her 
sons  had  gone  into  world  for  business,  one  in  Chicago  and 
one  in  Philadelphia,  and  the  occupation  of  watching  the 
steps  and  cheering  the  hours  of  her  charge  had  passed. 
Friends  noticed  that  she  began  "to  fail  and  age." 

About  four  years  after  the  death  of  Dr.  Sage,  one  Sun- 
day evening  while  the  purple,  scarlet  and  gold  of  a  June 
sunset  colored  the  shy  with  opaline  tints  and  the  hushed 
air  of  twilight  was  tremulous  with  chimes  of  church  bells, 
watchers  saw  a  love-glow  spread  over  her  face.  Was  it  the 
reflection  of  the  clebtial  light  in  realms  of  bliss  as  angelic 
music  from  the  choir  invisible  welcomed  her  spirit  when  it 
entered  the  Eternal  City  ?  We  who  had  tenderly  cared  for 
her  during  a  short  illness  said  :  "She  is  dead." 

THE  END. 


APPENDIX. 


Cooper  the  Novelist  and  Dr.  Ebeimezer  Sage. 

The  Sea  Lions,  the  last  but  one  of  Cooper's  thirty-three 
novels,  and  one  among  his  best,  begins  with  an  account  of 
Sag-Harbor  as  it  was  in  1819  and  1820.  It  is  not  a  des- 
cription drawn  from  the  novelist's  imagination,  but  from 
actual  observation,  for  Cooper  at  that  period  was  tempora- 
rily a  resident  there.  He  had  resigned  from  the  navy  and 
had  married  a  lady  named  Delancy,  from  Westchester  Co., 
N.  Y.,  who  was  a  connection  of  the  Nicoll's  family,  of  Shel- 
ter Island,  N.  Y.  While  on  a  visit  to  this  family  and  in 
company  with  Charles  T.  Dering,  a  shipping  merchant  of 
Sag-Harbor  and  the  husband  of  Miss  Eliza  Floyd  Nicoll, 
his  attention  was  drawn  to  the  whale  fishery,  Sag-Harbor 
being  then  one  of  the  principal  whaling  ports  of  the  coun- 
try, with  a  population  in  1820  of  1,646,  nearly  half  of  what 
it  is  now.  He  became  so  much  interested  in  this  industry, 
and  being  then  without  any  pursuit  or  occupation,  he  re- 
solved to  engage  in  that  business  and  purchased  a  ship  in 
which  he  had  the  controlling  interest,  called  the  Union, 
commanded  by  Capt.  Jonathan  Osborne,  of  Wainscott, 
one  of  the  most  noted  of  the  whaling  captains  that  sailed 
then  from  Sag-Harbor.  Judge  Hedges,  in  his  recent  His- 
tory of  East-Hampton,  N.  Y.*  in  referring  tc  Captain  Os- 
borne, says  :  "he  had  sailed  from  Sag-Harbor  on  voyages 
in  command  of  a  ship  from  thence,  owned  by  J.  Fennimore 
Cooper,  the  novelist,"  from  which  it  might  be  inferred  that 
the  vessel  was  owned  by  Cooper,  but  it  appears  from  infor- 

*Hectges'  History  of  East-Hampton,  p.  178,  Sag-Harbor,  1897. 


29       COOPER  THE  NOVELIST  AND  EBENEZEB  SAGE. 

niation  derived  from  old  residents  who  are  familiar  with 
the  facts  that  Cooper  and  C.  T.  Dering,  the  husband  of  his 
wife's  cousin,  formed  a  company  composed  of  several  per- 
sons, the  controlling  interest  in  which  vessel,  as  has  been 
said,  belonged  to  the  novelist. 

The  Judge  gives  a  vivid  description  of  the  capture  of  a 
whale  off  East-Hampton  by  two  boats  led  by  this  fam- 
ous Captain  Osborne,  a  contest  which  lasted  from  seven  in 
the  morning  until  two  in  the  afternoon,  which  he  witnessed 
as  a  boy  seventy  years  ago  from  his  father's  farm.  He 
describes  the  victors  "towing  the  whale  to  the  shore,  the 
joyful  faces  of  the  crew,  the  tall  and  stalwart  form  of  the 
Captain  clad  in  his  red  flannel  shirt,  his  face  and  hands 
almost  equally  red,"  looking  "the  incarnation  of  the  whale 
fighter  fame  had  reported  him  to  be,"  and  the  Judge  adds, 
Cooper's  "creation  of  Long  Tom  Coffin  out  of  Capt.  Jona- 
than Osborne  would  be  a  slight  dilation  of  the  reality." 

Cooper,  as  being  the  largest  shareholder,  took  charge  on 
behalf  of  the  others  of  whatever  was  incidental  to  the  "fit- 
ting out"  of  the  vessel  and  the  general  management  of  the 
business.  It  is  said  he  was  the  first  to  originate,  at  least 
in  Sag-Harbor,  the  scheme  of  an  association  of  several  per- 
sons who  united  in  purchasing  and  sending  out  a  vessel  on 
a  whaling  voyage,  or  what  was  thereafter  called  "company 
ships."  Whaling  vessels  before  this  time,  in  that  port,  be- 
ing owned  either  by  an  individual  or  a  business  firm. 

While  in  Sag-Harbor  engaged  in  this  business  Cooper 
resided  in  a  tavern  at  the  bottom  of  Main  street,  near  the 
site  of  the  present  Kailroad  depot,  a  noted  place  of  resort 
in  the  early  part  of  the  present  century,  kept  by  one  Pele- 
tiah  Fordham,  who  from  his  personal  peculiarities  and  self 
importance,  was  known  by  the  sobrequet  of  "Duke  Ford- 
ham."     Here,  according  to  a  tradition  that  has  descended 


COOPEK  THE  NOVELIST  AND  EBENEZER  SAGE.        30 

both  from  the  Nicolls  and  Dering  families,*  Cooper  wrote 
his  first  novel,  "Precaution,"  which  may  have  been,  for  he 
was  residing  in  Sag-Harbor  when  the  novel  was  published, 
in  1819,  that  being  the  year  when  •  the  Union,  under  his 
business  management,  sailed  upon  a  voyage  to  the  coast  of 
Brazil,  which  at  that  time  was  the  part  of  the  South  Seas 
chiefly  resorted  to  by  whalers,  and  having,  both  before  and 
after  her  departure  much  leisure,  it  may  have  been  that  he 
sought  to  fill  it  up  by  the  writing  of  this  work,  which  was 
not  written  with  any  serious  expectation  then  of  devoting 
himself  to  a  literary  career. 

It  is  said  that  after  reading  a  recent  English  novel  called 
Discipline,  which  he  brought  from  New-Yoik,  aloud  to  his 
wife  and  her  cousin,  Miss  Anne  Nicoll,  he  remarked  that 
he  could  write  a  better  novel  himself.  The  ladies  express- 
ed their  doubt.  They,  and  especially  Miss  Nicoll,  chal- 
lenged him  to  do  so,  and  Precaution  was  written  to  prove 
it,  which  it  did  not,  as  the  novel  was  unsuccessful. 

Judge  Hedges  in  an  interesting  paper,  recently  read  be- 
fore the  Sag-Harbor  Historical  Society,  after  stating  that 
he  was  told  by  a  person  who  knew  the  fact,  that  Cooper 
stopped  at  Peletiah  Fordham's  tavern,  on  Main  street,  adds 
this  respecting  the  tradition  that  it  was  in  that  tavern  that 
he  wrote  his  first  novel,  Precaution.  "Strangely  and  late- 
ly there  came  into  my  hands  a  copy  of  a  letter  written  by 
his  daughter,  the  late  Susan  Fennimore  Cooper,  dated  Jan- 
uary 7th,  1891,  to  the  Rev.  William  Eemson  Mulford,  of 
New  Haven,  in  which  she  states  that  at  the  time  the  novel 
was  written  her  father  resided  at  Angevine,  Westchester 
County,  N.  Y.,  and  when  a  child  she  heard  him  read  the 
manuscript  to  her  mother,  which  was  written  there." 

*  See  also  note  by  Win.  S.  Pelletreau  in  the  Kecords  of  Southamp- 
ton, Vol.  Ill,  p.  240. 


31        COUPEE  THE  NOVELIST  AND  EBENEZER  SAGE. 

This  does  not  necessarily  disprove  the  statement  that  it 
was  written  in  Fordham's  tavern,  in  Sag-Harbor.  The  cir- 
cumstance which  led  to  its  being  written  occurred  at  the 
residence  of  his  wife's  cousin,  Miss  Anne  Mcoll,  on  Shelter 
Island  ;  the  anecdote  having  been  frequently  told  by  her 
both  before  and  after  Cooper  became  famous. 

Precaution  was  published  in  1819,  and  in  the  summer  of 
that  year  the  Union  returned  from  her  first  voyage,  under 
Cooper's  superintendence,  to  Sag-Harbor,  and  was  again 
fitted  out  for  another  whaling  voyage,  under  the  same  mas- 
ter, from  which  she  returned  in  the  summer  of  the  follow- 
ing year.  During  these  three  years  Cooper,  in  the  dis- 
charge of  the  duties  he  had  undertaken,  must  have,  as  the 
manager  of  this  whaling  adventure,  passed  a  considerable 
portion  of  his  time  in  Sag-Harbor,  especially  during  the 
fitting  out  for  these  two  cruises,  and  the  business  attendant 
upon  the  disposition  of  the  cargoes  she  brought  back, 
which  would  make  him  temporarily  a  resident  there,  while 
his  permanent  residence  or  home  may  have  been  in  West- 
chester County,  N.  Y.,  where  he  married  his  wife. 

It  is  stated  that  when  Mrs.  Cooper  was  in  the  eastern 
part  of  Long  Island,  it  was  either  as  the  guest  of  her 
relatives,  in  the  Nicoll  mansion  on  Shelter  Island,  or  with 
her  cousin,  Mrs.  Charles  T.  Dering,  in  Sag-Harbor,  the 
residue  of  her  time  probably  being  passed  at  the  permanent 
residence  or  home  in  Westchester  County,  so  that  it  may 
have  been  that  this  first  novel  was  written  at  Fordham's 
tavern  in  Sag-Harbor,  and  that  Cooper  brought  the  manu- 
script to  his  residence  at  Angevine  to  read  it  to  his  wife. 
If  Miss  Cooper  had  heard,  either  from  her  father  or  her 
mother,  that  the  novel  was  written  at  Angevine,  it  would 
have  a  weight,  which  merely  saying  "which  was  written 
there"  has  not.     She  was  at  the  time  a  child,  and  as  her 


COOPER  THE  NOVELIST  AND  EBENEZER  SAGE.       32 

parents  had  been  married  but  a  few  years,  a  young  child, 
and  her  saying  "which  was  written  there"  may  have  been 
simply  her  impression  and  belief,  from  having  heard  her 
father  read  it  there,  from  the  manuscript,  to  her  mother. 

As  the  circumstance  that  led  to  its  being  written  occurred 
at  Shelter  Island,  and  as  the  business  he  had  to  do  in  Sag- 
Harbor  left  him  with  much  leisure  on  his  hands,  it  would 
seem  very  natural,  after  the  challenge  he  had  received,  that 
he  should  at  once,  having  the  leisure  to  do  so,  have  set 
about  doing  what  he  declared  he  could  do,  and  that  the 
novel  was  written  at  Fordhani's  tavern,  according  to  tradi- 
tion, which  from  inquiries  made  by  the  writer  has  existed 
there  for  a  long  time,  and  believed,  and  that  when  com- 
pleted he  brought  the  manuscript  to  his  wife  in  West- 
chester County  to  read  to  her. 

The  Union  returned  from  her  voyage  on  the  loth  of 
July,  1820,  with  900  barrels  of  oil,  the  capture  of  twelve 
whales,  about  half  a  cargo  for  a  vessel  of  her  tonnage,  which 
was  not  what  was  then  considered  a  very  good  voyage. 


Note. — Mrs.  Mary  Balfour  Brunton  was  the  wife  of  the  Rev.  Alexan  - 
der  Brunton  and  the  authoress  of  two  novels,  "Self-Control"  and  "Dis- 
cipline," which  were  very  successful,  especially  the  first,  "Self-Control." 
It  was  published  anonymously  in  1811,  and  what  is  very  unusual  in  any 
book,  the  first  edition  was  sold  in  a  month,  and  especially  so  in  the  case 
of  a  first  publication  by  an  unknown  author;  its  second  and  third  edi- 
tion followed.  It  was  written,  as  the  authoress  afterward  stated,  to 
show  that  the  maxim  is  untrue  that  a  reformed  rake  make  the  best 
husband.  "Discipline,"  which  was  published  in  1814,  it  is  said,  also 
met  with  great  buccess.  She  left  another  novel,  "Emmeline,"  unfin- 
ished at  the  time  of  her  death,  four  years  afterwards.  Many  of  her 
writings  have  been  translated  into  Erench,  and  she  is  said  to  have  been 
highly  esteemed  on  the  continent,  and  that  among  the  pleasing  ex- 
pounders of  morality  that  she  £tood  prominent  as  well  for  the  good 
taste  and  style  as  for  the  soundness  of  her  works.— (Alibone's  Diction- 
ary of  Authors,  Vol.  I,  p.  259.)  The  fact  that  her  two  novels  were  so 
successful,  when  she  had  as  competitors,  in  the  field  of  fiction,  Miss 
Edgworth,  Lady  Morgan,  flannan  More,  Jane  Austin  and  Sir  Walter 
Scott,  is  a  sufficient  commentary  on  Cooper's  wai.t  of  appreciation  of 
the  last  of  her  two  novels,  who  did  not  justly  esteem  the  merits  of  oth- 
ers, for  after  Scott's  death  he  wr->te  an  article  upon  him  in  a  New-York 
magazine,  in  which  all  the  merit  he  allowed  him  as  a  novelist  was  tact. 


88  COOPEK  THE  KOT9BLIST  AND  EBENEZEE  SAGE. 

To  illustrate  what  was,  Captain  David  Yail  of  Sag-Har- 
bor, in  1836,  returned  to  that  port  in  the  Cadmus,  the 
Havre  packet  ship  that  brought  LaFayette  to  this  country 
in  1824,  as  a  guest  of  the  nation,  and  afterwards  becrme  a 
whaling  vessel  owned  by  the  shipping  firm  of  Mulford  & 
Sleight,  of  Sag-Harbor,  which  brought  back  after  an  absence 
of  only  seven  months,  2,000  barrels  of  oil. 

The  Union  made  two  successive  voyages  thereafter  with 
Captain  Osborne  as  master,  to  the  coast  of  Patagonia,  re- 
returning  to  Sag-Harbor  respectively  on  the  third  of  July 
1821,  and  the  24th  of  June,  1822,  with  what  results  has 
not  been  ascertained.  If  they  had  been  largely  profitable 
it  may  reasonably  be  surmised  that  Cooper  would  have 
continued  in  the  business,  and  if  the  investment  had  not 
been  much  of  a  success  that  he  would  have  availed  him- 
self of  anything  better  and  equally  congenial  that  may 
have  offfered,  and  about  this  period  something  of  the 
kind  may  have  taken  place.  As  respects  that  business  he 
himself  says  in  the  Sea  Lions,  "None  became  rich  in  the 
strict  signification  of  the  term,  though  a  few  got  to  be 
in  reasonably  affluent  circumstances  ;  many  were  placed 
altogether  at  their  ease,  and  more  were  made  humbly 
comfortable." 

The  Union  continued  to  be  employed  in  the  whaling 
trade  of  Sag-Harbor  for  some  years  thereafter,  but  on  her 
next  voyage,  which  was  in  1823,  she  was  no  longer  com- 
manded by  Captain  Osborne,  but  by  a  Captain  Griffing, 
and  about  the  same  period  an  important  event  happened 
in  respect  to  Cooper.  It  has  been  stated  that  the  first 
novel  he  published  was  a  failure  ;  that  it  had  no  success. 
Such  however  was  not  the  case  with  the  second.  A  person 
then  living  in  the  vicinity  where  Cooper  had  married  his 
wife,  named  Enoch  Crosby,  had  played  an  important  part 


COOPER  THE  NOVELIST  AND  EBENEZEK  SAGE.       d& 

in  the  American  Revolution,  in  keeping  Washington  sup- 
plied with  valuable  information  respecting  the  enemy,  with 
whose  perilous  adventures,  many  disguises  and  hair-breadth 
escapes  Cooper  became  acquainted,  and  considering  this  as 
supplying  excellent  material  for  a  work  of  fiction,  he  pro- 
duced and  published  in  1821  his  novel  of  The  Spy,  which 
had  a  wide-spread  popularity,  was  re-printed  in  England, 
was  translated  into  many  languages,  and  established  his 
reputation  as  a  successful  writer  of  fiction. 

It  would  seem  that  at  or  about  this  period  he  withdrew 
from  the  whaling  business,  for  the  Union  continued  to  be 
employed  for  several  years  thereafter,  commanded  by  dif- 
ferent masters.  There  is  a  record  in  the  Sag-Harbor  Cus- 
tom House  of  her  return  from  a  whaling  voyage  on  the  16th 
of  June,  18z7,  but  nothing  indicating  that  he  had  any  con- 
nection with  her.  He  had  in  the  intervening  seven  years 
evidently  devoted  himself  wholly  to  the  pursuit  of  litera- 
ture, having  published  during  that  time  The  Pioneers,  The 
Pilot,  The  Last  of  the  Mohicans,  (generally  considered  his 
masterpiece),  The  Prairie,  The  Eed  Rover,  and  had  become 
one  of  the  world's  prominent  novelists.  Balsac  admired 
him  greatly  and  Victor  Hugo  thought  that  as  a  writer  of 
romance,  he  was  superior  to  Scott. 

A  small  seaport  town  as  Sag-Harbor  was  then,  where  the 
whole  industry  of  the  place  was  connected  with  ships  and 
shipping,  would  necessarily  bring  together  curious,  excen- 
tric  and  striking  personages,  of  which  a  writer  of  fiction,  to 
aid  him  in  portraying  character,  could  avail  himself,  or, 
as  Cooper  expresses  it,  use  as  "auxiliaries,"  and  that  he 
did  so  is  highly  probable,  at  least  in  one  case.  He  says  : 
'•That  the  character  of  Leather  Stocking  is  a  creation  ren- 
dered possible  by  such  auxiliaries  as  were  necessary  to 
produce  the  effect."     The  description  of  the  personal  ap- 


35  COOPEB  THE  HOVEMSl  AND  EBENEZEE  SAGE. 

pearance  and  peculiar  laugh  of  Natty  Buropo,  of  tLe  Pio- 
neers, nicknamed  Leather  Stocking,  was  recognized  at  the 
time  of  the  publication  of  the  novel  to  be  that  of  Captain 
Hand,  of  Sag-Harbor. 

From  the  first  part  of  the  book  we  quote  the  following 
description  of  Natty  Bnmpo,  which,  in  the  recollection  of 
persons  now  Hying,  is  an  exact  delineation  of  Capt.  Hand's 
personality  in  old  age*  : 

"His  face  was  skinny  and  thin  almost  to  emaciation ;  but 
yet  it  bore  no  signs  of  disease  ;  on  the  contrary  it  had  every 
indication  of  the  most  robust  and  enduring  health.  The 
cold  and  the  exposure  had,  together,  given  it  a  color  of  uni- 
form red.  His  gray  eyes  were  glancing  under  a  pair  of 
shaggy  brows,  that  overhung  them  in  long  hairs  of  gray 
mingled  with  their  natural  hue  ;  his  scraggy  neck  was  bare 
and  burnt  to  the  same  tint  as  his  face." 

A  few  -pages  beyond  we  read  that  Leather  Stocking 
laughed  thus  :  "  *  *  then  Natty  stretched  out  his  long 
and  bonv  neck  and  straightened  his  body,  as  he  opened  his 
mouth,  which  exposed  a  single  tusk  of  yellow  bone,  while 
his  eves,  his  face,  even  his  whole  frame  seemed  to  laugh, 
although  no  sound  was  emitted  except  a  kind  of  hissing, 
as  he  inhaled  his  breath  in  quavers."  This  "remarkable 
laugh,"  as  Cooper  calls  it,  is  identified  throughout  the 
Leather  Stocking  series. 

Captain  Hand,  of  whom  mention  elsewhere  is  made,  was 
a  seaman  in  privateers  and  vessels  of  the  navy  during  the 
revolution,  and  before  reaching  his  20th  year  had  seen 
Washington,  been  a  prisoner  of  war  five  times,  and  was 
one  of  the  exchanged  prisoners  from  the  Jersey  prison 
ships.  He  was  distinguished  by  the  further  circumstance 
that  he  had  five  wives.     These  were  interred  in  a  row,  each 

*  He  was  the  maternal  grandfather  of  the  present  Capt.  David  Vail, 
of  Sag-Harbor. 


COOPER  THE  NOVELIST  AND  EBENEZER  SAGE.  36 

with  a  headstone,  in  the  old  burying  ground  of  the  Presby- 
terian church  in  Sag  Harbor,  at  the  end  of  the  ground  fac- 
ing Madison  St.,  where  as  he  walked  along  the  street  he 
could  easily  see  the  tombstones  of  his  five  wives,  of  which 
at  his  death  in  1840,  at  the  age  of  81,  his  was  the  sixth, 
placed  at  the  head  of  the  row.  On  the  stone  at  the  grave 
of  the  third  wife  is  this  curious  epitaph,  probably  of  his 
own  composition : 

"Behold  ye  living  mortals  passing  by, 
How  thick  the  partners  of  one  husband  lie ; 
Vast  and  unsearchable  are  the  ways  of  God, 
Just  but  severe  His  chastening  rod." 

They  have  been  removed  to  Oakland  cemetery  where  they 
are  placed  as  formerly  they  were,  in  a  row.  Howell,  in  his 
History  of  Southampton,  says  of  him :  "Having  survived 
all  the  dangers  of  war,  he  lived  long,  a  man  of  note  and  re- 
spectability, honored  by  his  fellow  citizens  for  his  bravery 
and  manly  virtues." 

There  is  this  further  interest  in  the  Sea  Lions  that  Dr. 
Ebenezer  Sage  is  one  of  the  personages  introduced  in  the 
opening  part  of  the  tale,  whose  character,  in  the  opinion  of 
persons  still  living,  is  faithfully  delineated,  and  it  was 
thought  that  in  addition  to  the  early  account  given  by 
Cooper  of  Sag-Harbor  it  would  be  interesting  in  connec- 
tion with  the  letters  written  by  Dr.  Ebenezer  Sage  in  the 
earlier  part  of  this  century,  to  reprint  so  much  of  Cooper's 
novel  as  relates  to  him. 

The  novelist's  description  of  Sag-Harbor  and  its  vicinity 
and  the  habits,  character  and  pursuits  of  the  people  of  the 
eastern  end  of  Long  Island,  seventy-eight  years  ago,  are  so 
interwoven  that  much  of  the  opening  part  of  the  novel  has 
to  be  re-printed  nearly  entire.  The  description  opens  as 
follows : 

Every  one  at  all  familiar  with  the  map  of  America  knows 


37  COOPER  TEE  KOVELIST  AJSD  EBENEZER  SAGE. 

the  position  and  general  form  of  the  two  islands  that  shel- 
ter the  well-known  harbor  of  the  great  emporium  of  the 
commerce  of  the  country.  These  islands  obtained,  their 
names  from  the  Dutch,  who  called  them  Nassau  andStaten; 
but  the  English,  with  little  respect  for  the  ancient  house 
whence  the  first  of  these  appellations  is  derived,  and  consult- 
ing only  the  homely  taste  which  leads  them  to  a  practical 
rather  than  to  a  poetical  nomenclature  in  all  things,  have 
since  virtually  dropped  the  name  of  Nassau,  altogether  sub- 
stituting that  of  Long  Island  in  its  stead. 

Long  Island,  or  the  island  of  Nassau,  extends  from  the 
mouth  of  the  Hudson  to  the  eastern  line  of  Connecticut ; 
forming  a  sort  of  sea-wall  to  protect  the  whole  coast  of  the 
latter  little  territory  against  the  waves  of  the  broad  Atlan- 
tic. Three  of  the  oldest  New-York  counties,  as  their  names 
would  implv,  Kings,  Queens  and  Suffolk,  are  on  this  island. 
Kings  was  originally  peopled  by  the  Dutch,  and  still  pos- 
sesses as  many  names  derived  from  Holland  as  from  Eng- 
land, if  its  towns,  which  are  of  recent  origin,  be  taken  from 
the  account.  Queens  is  more  of  a  mixture,  having  been 
early  invaded  and  occupied  by  adventurers  from  the  other 
side  of  the  Sound  ;  but  Suffolk,  which  contains  nearly,  if 
not  quite,  two-thirds  of  the  surface  of  the  whole  Island,  is 
and  ever  has  been  in  possession  of  a  people  deiived  origi- 
nally from  the  Puritans  of  New  England.  Of  these  three 
counties,  Kings  is  much  the  smallest,  though,  next  to  New- 
York  itself,  the  most  populous  county  in  the  State  ;  a  cir- 
cumstance that  is  owing  to  the  fact  that  two  suburban  off- 
sets of  the  great  emporium,  Brooklyn  and  Williamsburg, 
happen  to  stand  within  its  limits,  on  the  waters  of  what  is 
improperly  called  tue  East  River  ;  an  arm  ot  the  sea  that 
has  obtained  this  appellation  in  contradistinction  to  the 
Hudson,  which,  as  all  Manhattanese  well  know,  is  as  often 
called  the  North  River  as  by  its  proper  name.  In  conse- 
quence of  these  two  towns,  or  suburbs  of  New- York,  one  of 
which  contains  nearly  one  hundred  thousand  souls,  while 
the  other  must  be  drawing  on  toward  twenty  thousand, 
Kings  County  has  lost  all  it  ever  had  of  peculiar  or  local 
character.     The  same  is  true  of  Queens,  though  in  a  dimin- 


COOPER  THE  NOVELIST  AND  EBENEZER  SAGE.       38 

isked  degree ;  but  Suffolk  remains  Suffolk  still,  and  it  is 
with  Suffolk  alone  that  our  present  legend  requires  us  to 
deal.  Of  Suffolk,  then,  we  propose  to  say  a  few  words  by- 
way of  preparatory  explanation. 

Although  it  has  actually  more  sea-coast  than  all  the  rest 
of  New-York  united,  Suffolk  has  but  one  seaport  that  is 
ever  mentioned  beyond  the  limits  of  the  county  itself.  Nor 
is  this  port  one  of  general  commerce,  its  shipping  being 
principally  employed  in  the  hardy  and  manly  occupation 
of  whaling.  As  a  whaling  town,  Sag-Harbor  is  the  third 
or  fourth  port  in  the  country,  and  maintains  something 
like  that  rank  in  importance.  A  whaling  haven  is  nothing 
without  a  whaling  community.  Without  the  last  it  is  al- 
most hopeless  to  look  for  success.  New- York  can,  and  has 
often  fitted  whalers  for  sea,  having  sought  officers  in  the 
regular  whaling  ports ;  but  it  has  been  seldom  that  the  en- 
terprises have  been  rewarded  with  such  returns  as  to  induce 
a  second  voyage  by  the  same  parties. 

It  is  as  indispensable  that  a  whaler  should  possess  a  cer- 
tain esprit  de  corps,  as  that  a  regiment,  or  a  ship  of  war, 
should  be  animated  by  its  proper  spirit.  In  the  whaling 
communities,  this  spirit  exists  to  an  extent  and  in  a  degree 
that  is  wonderful,  when  one  remembers  the  great  expansion 
of  this  particular  branch  of  trade  within  the  last  five-and- 
twenty  years.  It  may  be  a  little  lessened  of  late,  but  at 
the  time  of  which  we  are  writing,  or  about  the  year  1820, 
there  was  scarcely  an  individual  who  followed  this  particu- 
lar calling  out  of  the  port  of  Sag-Harbor,  whose  general 
standing  on  board  ship  was  not  as  well  known  to  all  the 
women  and  girls  of  the  place  as  it  was  to  his  shipmates. 
Success  in  taking  the  whale  was  a  thing  that  made  itself 
felt  in  every  fibre  of  the  prosperity  of  the  town  ;  and  it  was 
just  as  natural  that  the  single-minded  population  of  that 
part  of  Suffolk  should  regard  the  bold  and  skilful  harpooner 
or  lancer  with  favor,  as  it  is  for  the  belie  at  a  watering- 
place  to  bestow  her  smiles  on  one  of  the  young  heroes  of 
Cottreras  or  Cherubusco.  His  peculiar  merit,  whether 
with  the  oar,  lance,  or  harpoon,  is  bruited  about,  as  well  as 
the  number  of  whales  he  may  have  succeeded  in  "making 


39  COOPER  THE  NOVELIST  AND  EBENEZEB  SAGE. 

fast  to,"  or  those  which  he  caused  to  "spout  blood."  It  is 
true  that  the  great  extension  of  the  trade  within  the  last 
twenty  years,  by  drawing  so  many  from  a  distance  into  its 
pursuits,  has  in  a  degree  lessened  this  local  interest  and 
local  knowledge  of  character;  but  at  the  time  of  which  we 
are  about  to  write  both  were  at  their  height,  and  Nantucket 
itself  had  not  more  of  this  "intelligence  office"  propensity, 
or  more  of  the  true  whaling  esprit  de  co?ys,  than  were  to 
be  found  in  the  district  of  country  that  surrounded  Sag- 
Harbor. 

Long  Island  forks  at  its  eastern  end,  and  may  be  said  to 
have  two  extremities.  One  of  these,  which  is  much  the 
shortest  of  the  two  legs  thus  formed,  goes  by  the  name  of 
Oyster  Pond  Point  ;  while  the  other,  that  stretches  much 
farther  in  the  direction  of  Block  Island,  is  the  well-known 
cape  called  Montauk.  Within  the  fork  lies  Shelter  Island, 
so  named  from  the  snug  berth  it  occupies.  Between  Shel- 
ter Island  and  the  longest  or  southern  prong  of  the  fork 
are  the  waters  which  compose  the  haven  of  Sag-Harbor — 
an  estuary  of  some  extent  ;  while  a  narrow  but  deep  arm 
of  the  sea  separates  this  island  from  the  northern  prong, 
that  terminates  at  Oyster  Pond. 

The  name  of  Oyster  Pond  Point  was  formerly  applied 
to  a  long,  low,  fertile,  and  pleasant  reach  of  land  that  ex- 
tended several  miles  fiom  the  point  itself,  westward,  toward 
the  spot  where  the  two  prongs  of  the  fork  united.  It  was 
not  easy,  during  the  first  quarter  of  the  present  century,  to 
rind  a  more  secluded  spot  on  the  whole  Island  than  Oyster 
Pond.  Recent  enterprises  have  since  converted  it  into  the 
terminus  of  a  railroad  ;  and  Green  Port,  once  called  Ster- 
ling, is  a  name  well  known  to  travelers  between  New-York 
and  Boston  ;  but  in  the  earlier  part  of  the  present  century 
it  seemed  just  as  likely  that  the  Santa  Casa  of  Loretta 
should  take"  a  new  flight  and  descend  on  the  point,  as  that 
the  improvement  that  has  actually  been  made  should  in 
truth  occur  at  that  out-of-the-way  place.  It  required,  in- 
deed, the  keen  eye  of  a  railroad  projector  to  bring  this 
spot  in  connection  with  anything ;  nor  could  it  be  done 
without  having  recourse  to  the  water  by  which  it  is  almost 


COOPER  THE  NOVELIST  AND  EBENEZE*  SAGS.       40 

surrounded.  Using  the  last,  it  is  true,  means  have  been 
found  to  place  it  in  a  line  between  two  of  the  great  marts 
of  the  country,  and  thus  to  put  an  end  to  all  its  seclusion, 
its  simplicity,  its  peculiarities,  and  we  had  almcst  said,  its 
happiness. 

It  is  to  us  ever  a  painful  sight  to  see  the  rustic  virtues 
rudely  thrown  aside  by  the  intrusion  of  what  are  termed 
improvements.  A  railroad  is  certainly  a  capital  invention 
for  the  traveller,  but  it  may  be  questioned  if  it  is  of  any 
other  benefit  than  that  of  pecuniary  convenience  to  the 
places  through  which  it  passes.  How  many  delightful 
hamlets,  pleasant  villages,  and  even  tranquil  country  towns 
are  losing  their  primitive  characters  for  simplicity  and  con- 
tentment by  the  passage  of  these  fiery  trains,  that  drag 
after  them  a  sort  of  bastard  elegance,  a  pretension  that  is 
destructive  of  peace  of  mind,  and  an  uneasy  desire  in  all 
who  dwell  by  the  wayside  to  pry  into  the  mysteries  of  the 
whole  length  and  breadth  of  the  region  it  traverses  ! 

We  are  writing  of  the  year  of  our  Lord  one  thousand 
eight  hundred  and  nineteen.  In  that  day  Oyster  Pond 
was,  in  one  of  the  best  acceptations  of  the  word,  a  rural 
district.  It  is  true  that  its  inhabitants  were  accustomed 
to  the  water,  and  to  the  sight  of  vessels,  from  the  two- 
decker  to  the  little  shabby-looking  craft  that  brought  ashes 
from  town  to  meliorate  the  sandy  la]  ids  of  Suffolk  Only 
five  years  before  an  English  squadron  had  lain  in  Gardin- 
er's Byy,  here  pronounced  "Gar'ner's,"  watching  the  Race, 
or  eastern  outlet  of  the  Sound,  with  a  view  to  cut  off  the 
trade  and  annoy  their  enemy.  That  game  is  up  forever. 
No  hostile  squadron,  English,  French,  Dutch,  or  all  united 
will  ever  again  blockade  an  American  port  for  any  serious 
length  of  time — the  young  Herculese  passing  too  rapidly 
from  the  gristle  into  the  bone  any  longer  to  suffer  antics  of 
this  nature  to  be  played  in  front  of  his  cradle.  But  such 
was  not  his  condition  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  the  good 
people  of  Oyster  Pond  had  become  familiar  with  the 
checkered  sides  of  two-deck  ships,  and  the  venerable  and 
beautiful  ensign  of  Old  England,  as  it  floated  above  them. 

Nor  was  it  only  by  these  distant  views,  and  by  means  of 


41       COOPER  THE  NOVELIST  AND  EBENEZER  SAGE. 

hostilities,  that  the  good  folk  of  Oyster  Pond  were  ac- 
quainted with  vessels.  New-York  is  necessary  to  all  on  the 
coast,  as  a  market  and  as  a  place  to  procure  supplies ;  and 
every  creek,  or  inlet,  or  basin,  of  any  sort,  within  a  hundred 
leagues  of  it,  is  sure  to  possess  one  or  more  craft  that  ply 
between  the  favorite  haven  and  the  particular  spot  in  ques- 
tion. Thus  was  it  with  Oyster  Pond.  There  is  scarce  a 
better  harbor  on  the  whole  American  coast  than  that  which 
the  narrow  arm  of  the  s^a  that  divides  the  point  from  Shel- 
ter Island  presents  ;  and  even  in  the  simple  times  of  which 
we  are  writing  Sterling  had  its  two  or  three  coasters,  such 
as  they  were.  But  the  true  maritime  character  of  Oyster 
Pond,  as  well  as  that  of  all  Suffolk,  was  derived  from  the 
whalers,  and  its  proper  nucleus  was  across  the  estuary,  at 
Sag-Harbor.  Thither  the  youths  of  the  whole  region  re- 
sorted for  employment,  and  to  advance  their  fortunes,  and 
generally  with  such  success  as  is  apt  to  attend  enterprise, 
industry,  and  daring,  when  exercised  with  energy  in  a  pur- 
suit of  moderate  gains.  None  became  rich  in  the  strict 
signification  of  the  term,  though  a  few  got  to  be  in  reason- 
ably affluent  circumstances;  many  were  placed  altogether 
at  their  ease,  and  more  vere  made  humbly  comfortable. 
A  farm  in  America  is  well  enough  for  the  foundation  of 
family  support,  but  it  rarely  suffices  for  all  the  growing 
wants  of  these  days  of  indulgence,  and  of  a  desire  to  enjoy 
so  much  of  that  which  was  formerly  left  to  the  undisputed 
possession  of  the  unquestionably  rich.  A  farm,  with  a  few 
hundreds  per  annum  derived  from  other  sources,  makes  a 
good  base  of  comfort ;  and  if  the  hundreds  are  converted 
into  thousands,  your  farmer  or  agriculturist  becomes  a  man 
not  only  at  his  ease,  but  a  proprietor  of  some  importance. 
The  farms  on  Oyster  Pond  were  i  either  very  extensive,  nor 
had  they  owners  of  large  incomes  to  support  them  ;  on  the 
contrary,  most  of  them  were  made  to  support  their  owners  ; 
a  thing  that  is  possible,  even  in  America,  with  industry, 
frugality,  and  judgment.  In  order,  however,  that  the  names 
of  places  we  mav  have  occasion  to  use  shall  be  understood 
it  may  be  well  to  be  a  little  more  particular  in  our  prelim- 
inary explanation. 


COOPER  THE  NOVELIST  AND  EBENEZER  SAGE.       42 

The  reader  knows  that  we  are  now  writing  of  Suffolk 
County,  Long  Island,  New-York.  He  also  knows  that  our 
opening  scene  is  to  be  on  the  shorter,  or  most  northern,  of 
the  two  prongs  of  that  fork  which  divides  the  eastern  end 
of  this  island,  giving  it  what  are  properly  two  capes.  The 
smallest  territorial  division  that  is  known  to  the  laws  of 
New- York,  in  rural  districts,  is  the  "township,"  as  it  is 
called.  These  townships  are  usually  larger  than  the  Eng- 
lish parish,  corresponding  more  properly  with  the  French 
canton.  They  vary,  however,  greatly  in  size,  some  contain- 
ing as  much  as  a  hundred  square  miles,  which  is  the  largest 
size,  while  others  do  not  contain  more  than  a  tenth  of  that 
surface. 

The  township  in  which  the  northern  prong,  or  point  of 
Long  Island,  lies,  is  named  Southold,  and  includes  not  only 
all  of  the  long,  low,  narrow  land  that  then  went  by  the  com- 
mon names  of  Oyster  Pond,  Sterling,  etc.,  but  several 
islands  also  which  stietch  off  in  the  Sound,  as  well  as  a 
broader  piece  of  territory  near  Riverhead.  Oyster  Pond, 
which  is  tJ'-e  portion  of  the  township  that  lies  on  the  "point," 
is,  or  was — for  we  write  of  a  remote  period  in  the  galloping 
history  of  the  State — only  a  part  of  Southold,  and  probably 
was  not  then  a  name  known  in  the  laws  at  all. 

We  have  a  wish,  also,  that  this  name  should  be  pro- 
nounced properly.  It  is  not  called  Oyster  Pond,  as  the  un- 
initiated would  be  very  apt  to  get  it,  but  Oyster  Pund,  the 
last  word  having  a  sound  similar  to  that  of  the  cocknev's 
"pound"  in  his  "two  pund  two."  This  discrepancy  between 
the  spelling  and  the  pronunciation  of  proper  names  is  agree- 
able to  us,  for  it  shows  that  a  people  are  not  put  in  leading 
strings  by  pedagogues,  and  that  they  make  use  of  their  own 
in  their  own  way.  "We  remember  how  great  was  our  satis- 
faction once,  on  entering  Holmes'  Hole,  a  well-known  bay 
in  this  very  vicinity,  in  our  youth,  to  hear  a  boatman  call 
the  port  "Hum'ses  Hull."  It  is  getting  to  be  so  rare  to 
meet  with  an  American,  below  the  higher  classes,  who  will 
consent  to  cast  this  species  of  veil  before  his  schoolday  ac- 
quisitions, that  we  acknowledge  it  gives  us  pleasure  to  hear 


43  COOPEE  THE  NOVELIST  A2TD  EBESTEZEB  SAGE. 

such  good,  homely,  old-fashioned  English  as  "Gar'ner's 
Island."  ••Hnni'ses  Hull"'  and  "Oyster  Pund." 

This  plainness  of  speech  was  not  the  only  proof  of  the 
simplicity  of  former  days  that  was  to  be  found  in  Suffolk, 
in  the  first  quarter  of  the  century.  The  eastern  end  of 
Lcng  Island  lies  so  much  out  of  the  track  of  the  rest  of  the 
world,  that  even  the  new  railroad  cannot  make  much  im- 
pression  on  its  inhabitants,  who  get  their  pigs  and  poultry, 
butter  and  eggs,  a  little  earlier  to  market  than  in  the  ..lavs 
o!  the  stage-wage  s.  ::  is  true,  but  they  fortunately,  as  yet, 
bring  little  back  except  it  be  the  dross  that  sets  everything 
in  motion,  whether  it  be  by  rail,  or  through  the  sands,  in 
the  former  toilsome  mode. 

The  season,  at  the  precise  moment  when  we  desire  to 
take  the  reader  with  us  to  Oyster  Pond,  was  in  the  delight- 
ful monta  of  September,  when  the  earlier  promises  of  the 
vear  are  fast  maturing  into  performance.  Although  Suffolk, 
as  a  whole,  can  scarcely  be  deemed  a  productive  county, 
being-  generally  of  a  thin,  light  soil,  and  still  covered  with 
a  growth  of  small  wood,  it  possesses,  nevertheless,  spots  of 
exceeding  fertility.  A  considerable  portion  of  the  northern 
prong  of  the  fork  has  this  latter  character,  and  0}  ster 
Pond  is  a  sort  of  garden  compared  with  much  of  the  ster- 
ility that  prevails  are  una  it.  Plain  but  respectable  dwell- 
ings, with  numerous  out-buildings,  orchards  and  fruit- 
trees,  fences  carefully  preserved,  a  paintaking  tillage,  good 
roads,  and  here  and  there  a  "meeting-house,"  gave  the  fork 
an  air  of  rural  and  moral  beauty  that,  aided  by  the  water 
bv  which  it  was  so  nearly  surrounded,  contributed  greatly 
-  relieve  the  monotony  of  so  dead  a  level.  There  were 
heights  in  view,  on  Shelter  Island,  and  bluffs  toward  Kiv- 
erhead,  which,  if  they  would  not  attract  much  attention  in 
Switzerland,  were  by  no  means  overlooked  in  Suffolk.  In 
a  word,  both  the  season  and  the  place  were  charming, 
though  most  of  the  flowers  had  already  faded;  and  the  ap- 
ple, and  the  pear,  and  the  peach,  were  taking  the  places  cf 
the  inviting  cherry.  Fruit  abounded,  notwithstanding  the 
close  vieinitv  of  the  district  to  salt  water,  the  airs  from  the 


COOPEP  THE  NOVELIST  AND  EEENEZEP,  SAGE.  4A 

sea  beii  g  broken,  or  somewhat  tempered,  by  the  land  that 
lay  to  the  southward. 

We  have  spoken  of  the  coasters  that  ply  between  the 
emporium  and  all  the  creeks  and  bays  of  the  Sound,  as  well 
as  of  the  numberless  rivers  that  find  an  outlet  for  their 
waters  between  Sandy  Hook  and  Pockaway.  Wharves 
were  constructed,  at  favorable  points,  inside  the  prong,  and 
occasionally  a  sloop  was  seen  at  them  loading  its  truck,  or 
discharging  its  ashes  or  street  manure  ;  the  latter  being  a 
very  common  return  cargo  for  a  Long  Island  coaster.  At 
one  whari,  however,  now  lay  a  vessel  of  a  different  mould, 
and  one  which,  though  of  no  great  size,  was  manifestly  in- 
tended to  go  outside.  This  was  a  schooner  that  had  been 
recently  launched,  and  which  had  advanced  no  farther  in 
its  first  equipment  than  to  get  in  its  two  principal  spars, 
the  rigging  of  which  hung  suspended  over  the  mast-heads, 
in  readiness  to  be  "set  up"  for  the  first  time.  The  day  be- 
ing Sunday,  work  was  suspended,  and  this  so  much  the 
more,  because  the  owner  of  the  vessel  w^s  a  certain  Deaeon 
Pratt,  who  dwelt  in  a  house  within  half  a  mile  of  the  wharf, 
and  who  was  also  the  proprietor  of  three  several  parcels  of 
land  in  that  neighborhood,  each  of  which  had  its  own  build- 
ings and  conveniences,  and  was  properly  enough  dignified 
with  the  name  of  a  farm.  To  be  sure,  neither  of  these 
farms  was  very  large,  their  acres  united  amounting  to  but 
little  more  than  two  hundred  ;  but,  owing  to  their  condition 
the  native  richness  of  the  soil,  and  the  mode  of  turning 
them  to  account,  they  had  made  Deacon  Pratt  a  warm  man 
for  Suffolk. 

There  are  two  great  species  of  deacons  ;  for  we  suppose 
they  must  all  be  referred  to  the  same  genera.  One  species 
belong  to  the  priesthood,  and  become  priests  and  bishops  : 
passing  away,  as  priests  and  bishops  are  apt  to  do,  with 
more  or  less  of  the  savor  of  godliness.  The  other  species 
are  purely  laymen,  and  are  sui  generis.  They  are.  ex  omc-io, 
the  most  pious  men  in  the  neighborhood,  as  they  sometimes 
are,  as  it  would  seem  to  us.  ex-onicio,  also  the  most  grasp- 
ins;  and  mercinarv.  As  we  are  not  in  the  secrets  of  the 
sects  to  which  these  lay-deacons  belong,  we  shall  not  pre- 


45       COOPER  THE  NOVELIST  AND  EBENEZEB  SAGE. 

suine  to  pronounce  whether  the  individual  is  elevated  to 
the  deaconate  because  he  is  prosperous,  in  a  worldly  sense, 
or  whether  the  prosperity  is  a  consequence  of  the  deacon- 
ate  ;  but,  that  the  two  usually  go  together  is  quite  certain ; 
which  being  the  cause,  and  which  the  effect,  we  leave  to 
wiser  heads  to  determine. 

Deacon  Pratt  was  no  exception  to  the  rule.  A  tighter- 
fisted  sinner  did  not  exist  in  the  county  than  this  pious 
soul,  who  certainly  not  only  wore,  but  wore  out  the  "form 
of  godliness,"  while  he  was  devoted,  heart  and  hand,  to  the 
daily  increase  of  worldly  gear.  No  one  spoke  disparaging- 
ly of  the  deacon,  notwithstanding.  So  completely  had  he 
got  to  be  interwoven  with  the  church — "meeting,"  we  ought 
to  say — in  that  vicinity,  that  speaking  disparagingly  of  him 
would  have  appeared  like  assailing  Christianity.  It  is  true, 
that  many  an  unfortunate  fellow  citizen  in  Suffolk  had  been 
made  to  feel  how  close  was  the  gripe  of  his  hand,  when  he 
found  himself  in  its  grasp  ;  but  there  is  a  way  of  practising 
the  most  ruthless  extortion,  that  serves  not  only  to  deceive 
the  world,  but  which  would  really  seem  to  mislead  the  ex- 
tortioner himself.  Phrases  tane  the  place  of  deeds,  senti- 
ments those  of  facts,  and  grimaces  those  of  benevolent 
looks,  so  ingeniously  and  so  impudently  that  the  wronged 
often  fancy  that  they  are  the  victims  of  a  severe  dispensa- 
tion of  Providence,  when  the  truth  would  have  shown  that 
they  were  simply  robbed. 

"We  do  not  mean,  however,  that  Deacon  Pratt  was  a  rob- 
ber. He  was  merely  a  hard  man  in  the  management  of  his 
affairs,  never  cheating,  in  a  direct  sense,  but  seldom  conced- 
ing a  cent  to  generous  impulses,  or  to  the  duties  of  kind. 
He  was  a  widower,  and  childless,  circumstances  that  ren- 
dered his  love  of  gain  still  less  pardonable  ;  for  many  man 
who  is  indifferent  to  money  on  his  own  account,  will  toil 
and  save  to  lay  up  hords  for  those  who  are  to  come  after 
him  The  deacon  had  only  a  niece  to  inherit  his  effects, 
unless  he  might  choose  to  step  beyond  that  degree  of  con- 
sanguinity, and  bestow  a  portion  of  his  means  on  cousins. 
The  church — or,  to  be  more  literal,  the  "meeting" — had  an 
eve  to  his  resources,  however ;  and  it  was  whispered  it  had 


COOPER  THE  NOVELIST  AND  EBENEZER  SAGE.  46 

actually  succeeded,  by  means  known  to  itself,  in  squeezing 
out  of  his  tight  grasp  no  less  a  sum  than  one  hundred  dol- 
lars, as  a  donation  to  a  certain  theological  college.  It  was 
conjectured  by  some  persons  that  this  was  only  the  begin- 
ning of  a  religious  liberality,  and  that  the  excellent  and 
goodly-minded  deacon  would  bestow  most  of  his  property 
in  a  similar  way,  when  the  moment  should  come  that  it 
could  be  no  longer  of  any  use  to  himself.  This  opinion 
was  much  in  favor  with  divers  devout  females  of  the  dea- 
con's congregation,  who  had  daughters  of  their  own,  and 
who  seldom  failed  to  conclude  their  observations  on  this 
interesting  subject  with  some  such  remark  as,  "Well,  in 
that  case,  and  it  seems  to  me  that  everything  points  that 
way,  Mary  Pratt  will  get  no  more  than  any  other  poor 
man's  daughter." 

Little  did  Mary,  the  only  child  of  Israel  Pratt,  an  elder 
brother  of  the  deacon,  think  of  all  this.  She  had  been  left 
an  orphan  in  her  tenth  year,  both  parents  dying  within  a 
few  months  of  each  other,  and  had  lived  beneath  her  uncle's 
roof  for  nearly  ten  more  years,  until  use,  and  natural  affec- 
tion, and  the  customs  of  the  country,  had  made  her  feel 
absolutely  at  home  there.  A  less  interested,  or  less  selfish 
being  than  Mary  Pratt,  never  existed.  In  this  respect  she 
was  the  very  antipodes  of  her  uncle,  who  often  stealthily 
rebuked  her  ior  her  charities  and  acts  of  neighborly  kind- 
ness, which  he  was  wont  to  term  waste.  But  Mary  kept 
the  even  tenor  of  her  way,  seemingly  not  hearing  such  re- 
marks, and  doing  her  duty  quietly,  and  in  all  humility. 

Suffolk  was  settled  originally  by  emigrants  from  New 
England,  and  the  character  of  its  people  is  to  this  hour  of 
modified  New  England  habits  and  notions.  Now  one  of  the 
marked  peculiarities  of  Connecticut  is  an  indisposition  to 
part  with  anyrhing  without  a  quid  pro  quo.  Those  little 
services,  offerings  and  conveniencies  that  are  elsewhere 
parted  with  without  a  thought  of  remuneration,  go  regular- 
ly upon  the  day-book,  and  often  reappear  on  a  "settlement," 
years  after  they  have  been  forgotten  by  those  who  received 
the  favors.  Even  the  man  who  keeps  a  carriage  will  let  it 
out  for  hire  ;  and  the  manner  in  which  money  is  accepted, 


47  COOPEE  THE  NOVELIST  AM)  EBEMfZER  SAGE. 

and  even  asked  for  by  persons  in  easy  circumstances,  and 
for  things  that  would  be  gratuitous  in  the  Middle  States, 
often  causes  disappointment,  and  sometimes  disgust.  In 
this  particular  Scottish  and  Swiss  thrift,  both  notorious, 
and  the  latter  particularly  so,  are  nearly  equalled  by  New 
England  thrift  ;  more  especially  in  the  close  estimate  of 
the  value  of  services  rendered.  So  marked,  indeed,  is  this 
practice  of  looking  for  requitals,  that  even  the  language  is 
infected  with  it.  Thus,  should  a  person  pass  a  few  months 
by  invitation  with  a  friend,  his  visit  is  termed  "boarding;" 
it  being  regarded  as  a  matter  of  course  that  he  pays  his 
war.  It  would  scarcely  be  safe,  indeed,  without  the  pre- 
caution of  "passing  receipts"  on  quitting,  for  one  to  stay 
anv  time  in  a  New  England  dwelling,  unless  prepared  to 
pay  for  his  board.  The  free  and  frank  habits  that  prevail 
among  relatives  and  friends  elsewhere,  are  nearly  unknown 
there,  everv  service  having  its  price.  These  customs  are 
exceedinglv  repugnant  to  all  who  have  been  educated  in 
different  notions  ;  yet  they  are  not  without  their  redeeming 
qualities,  that  might  be  pointed  out  to  advantage,  though 
our  limits  will  not  permit  us,  at  this  moment  so  to  do. 

Little  did  Mary  Pratt  suspect  the  truth  ;  but  habit,  or 
covetousness,  or  some  vague  expectation  that  the  girl  might 
vet  contract  a  marriage  that  would  enable  him  to  claim  all 
Iris  advances,  had  induced  the  deacon  never  to  bestow  a 
cent  on  her  education,  or  dress,  or  pleasures  of  any  sort, 
that  the  money  was  not  regularly  charged  against  her  in 
that  nefarious  work  he  called  his  "day-book."  As  for  the 
self-respect,  and  the  feelings  of  cast,  which  prevent  a  gen- 
tleman from  practising  any  of  these  tradesmen's  tricks,  the 
deacon  knew  nothing  of  them.  He  would  have  set  the 
man  down  as  a  fool  who  deferred  to  any  notions  so  unprof- 
itable. With  him  not  only  every  man,  but  every  thing, 
"had  its  price,"  and  usually  it  was  a  good  price  too.  At 
the  very  moment  when  our  tale  opens,  there  stood  charged 
in  his  book,  against  his  unsuspecting  and  affectionate  niece 
items  in  the  way  of  schooling,  dress,  board,  and  pocket 
monev,  that  amounted  to  the  considerable  sum  of  one 
thousand  dollars.,  money  fairly  expended.     The  deacon  was 


COOPEE  THE  NOVELIST  AND  EBENEZEK  SAGE.        48 

only  intensely  mean  and  avaricious,  while  lie  was  as  honest 
as  the  day.  Not  a  cent  was  overcharged  ;  and,  to  own  the 
truth,  Mary  was  so  great  a  favorite  with  him  that  most  of 
his  charges  against  her  were  rather  of  a  reasonable  rate 
than  otherwise. 

On  the  Sunday  in  question,  Deacon  Pratt  went  to  meet- 
ing as  usual,  the  building  in  which  divine  service  was  held 
that  day,  standing  less  than  two  miles  from  his  residence  : 
but,  instead  of  remaining  for  the  afternoon's  preaching,  as 
was  his  wont,  he  got  into  his  one-horse  chaise,  the  vehicle 
then  in  universal  use  among  the  middle  classes,  though 
now  so  seldom  seen,  and  skirred  away  homeward  as  fast  as 
an  active,  well-fed,  and  powerful  switch-tailed  mare  could 
draw  him  ;  the  animal  being  accompanied  in  her  rapid  pro- 
gress by  a  colt  of  some  three  months  existence.  The  resi- 
dence of  the  deacon  was  unusually  inviting  tor  a  man  of  his 
narrow  habits.  It  stood  on  the  edge  of  a  fine  apple-orch- 
ard, having  a  door-yard  of  nearly  two  acres  in  its  front. 
This  door-yard,  which  had  been  twice  mown  that  summer, 
was  prettily  embellished  with  flowers,  and  was  shaded  by 
four  rows  of  noble  cherry-trees.  The  house  itself  was  of 
wood,  as  is  almost  uniformly  the  case  in  Suffolk,  where  lit- 
tle stone  is  to  be  found,  and  where  brick  constructions  are 
apt  to  be  thought  damp  ;  but  it  was  a  respectable  edifice, 
with  five  windows  in  front,  and  of  two  stories.  The  siding 
was  of  unpainted  cedar  shingles  ;  and,  although  the  house- 
had  been  erected  long  previously  to  the  Revolution,  the 
siding  had  been  renewed  but  once,  about  ten  years  before 
the  opening  of  our  tale,  and  the  whole  building  was  in  a 
perfect  state  of  repair.  The  thrift  of  the  deacon  rendered 
him  careful,  and  he  was  thoroughly  convinced  of  the  truth 
of  the  familiar  adage  which  tells  us  that  "a  stitch  in  time 
saves  nine."  All  around  the  house  and  farm  was  in  perfect 
order,  proving  the  application  of  the  saying.  As  for  the 
view,  it  was  sufficiently  pleasant,  the  house  having  its  front 
toward  the  east,  while  its  end  windows  looked,  the  one  set 
in  the  direction  of  the  Sound,  and  the  other  in  that  of  the 
arm  of  the  sea,  which  belongs  properly  to  Peconic  Bay,  we 
believe.     All  this  water,  some   of  which  was  visible  over 


49       COOPEE  THE  NOYELIST  AND  EBENEZEE  SAGE. 

points  and  among  islands,  together  with  a  smiling  and  fer- 
tile, though  narrow  stretch  of  fore-ground,  could  not  fail  of 
making  an  agreeable  landscape. 

It  was  little,  however,  that  Deacon  Pratt  thought  of  views, 
or  beauty  of  any  sort,  as  the  mare  reached  the  open  gate  of 
his  own  abode.  Mary  was  standing  in  the  stoop,  or  porch 
of  the  house,  and  appeared  to  be  anxiously  awaiting  her 
uncle's  return.  The  latter  gave  the  reins  to  a  black,  one 
who  was  no  longer  a  slave,  but  who  was  a  descendant  of 
some  of  the  ancient  slaves  of  the  Pratts,  and  in  that  char- 
acter consented  still  to  dawdle  about  the  place,  working 
for  half  price.  On  alighting,  the  uncle  approached  the 
niece  with  somewhat  of  interest  in  his  manner. 

"Well,  Mary,"  said  the  former,  "how  does  he  get  on 
now  r 

"Oh !  my  dear  sir,  he  cannot  possibly  live,  I  think,  and 
I  do  most  earnestly  entreat  that  you  will  let  me  send  across 
to  the  Harbor  for  Dr.  Sage." 

Bv  the  Harbor  was  meant  Sag's,  and  the  physician  named 
was  one  of  merited  celebrity  in  old  Suffolk.  So  healthy 
was  the  country  in  general,  and  so  simple  were  the  habits 
of  the  people,  that  neither  lawyer  nor  physician  was  to  be 
found  in  every  hamlet,  as  is  the  case  to-day.  Both  were 
to  be  had  at  Biverhead,  as  well  as  at  Sag-Harbor  ;  but,  if 
a  man  called  out  "Squire,"  or  "Doctor,"  in  the  highways  of 
Suffolk,  sixteen  men  did  not  turn  round  to  reply,  as  is  said 
to  be  the  case  in  other  regions ;  one  half  answering  to  the 
one  appellation,  and  the  second  half  to  the  other.  The 
deacon  had  two  objections  to  yielding  to  his  niece's  earnest 
request ;  the  expense  being  one,  though  it  was  not  in  this 
instance  the  greatest ;  there  was  another  reason  that  he 
kept  to  himself,  but  which  will  appear  as  our  narrative 
proceeds. 

A  few  weeks  previously  to  the  Sunday  in  question,  a  sea 
going  vessel,  inward  bound,  had  brought  up  in  Gardiner's 
Bay,  which  is  a  usual  anchorage  for  all  sorts  of  craft.  A 
worn-out  and  battered  seaman  had  been  pat  ashore  on 
Oyster  Pond,  by  a  boat  from  this  vessel,  which  sailed  to 
the  westward  soon  after,  proceeding  most  probably  to  New 


COOPER  THE  NOVELIST  AND  EBENEZER  SAGE.       50 

York.  The  stranger  was  not  only  well  advanced  in  life, 
but  lie  was  obviously  wasting  away  with  disease. 

The  account  given  of  himself  by  this  seaman  was  suffi- 
ciently explicit.  He  was  bcrn  on  Martha's  Vinyard,  but, 
as  is  customary  with  the  boys  of  that  island,  he  had  left 
home  in  his  twelfth  year,  and  had  now  been  absent  from  the 
place  of  his  birth  a  little  more  than  half  a  century.  Con- 
scious of  the  decay  which  beset  him,  and  fully  convinced 
that  his  days  were  few  and  numbered,  the  seaman  who 
called  himself  Tom  Daggett,  had  felt  a  desire  to  close  his 
eyes  in  the  place  where  they  had  first  been  opened  to  the 
light  of  day.  He  had  persuaded  the  commander  of  the 
craft  mentioned  to  bring  him  from  the  West  Indies,  and  to 
put  him  ashore  as  related,  the  Vineyard  being  only  a  hun- 
dred miles  or  so  to  the  eastward  of  Oyster  Pond  Point. 
He  trusted  to  luck  to  give  him  the  necessary  opportunity 
of  overcoming  these  last  hundred  miles. 

Daggett  was  poor,  as  he  admitted,  as  well  as  friendless 
and  unknown.  He  had  with  him,  nevertheless,  a  substan- 
tial sea-chest,  one  of  those  that  the  sailors  of  that  day  uni- 
formly used  in  merchant-vessels,  a  man-of-war  compelling 
them  to  carry  their  clothes  in  bags,  for  the  convenience  of 
compact  stowage.  The  chest  of  Daggett,  however,  was  a 
regular  inmate  of  the  forecastle,  and,  from  its  appearance, 
had  made  almost  as  many  voyages  as  its  owner.  The  last 
indeed,  was  heard  to  say  that  he  had  succeeded  in  saving 
it  from  no  less  than  three  shipwrecks.  It  was  a  reasonably 
heavy  chest,  though  its  contents,  when  opened,  did  not 
seem  to  be  of  any  great  value. 

A  few  hours  after  landing  this  man  had  made  a  bargain 
with  a  middle-aged  widow,  in  very  humble  circumstances, 
and  who  dwelt  quite  near  to  the  residence  of  Deacon  Pratt, 
to  receive  him  as  a  temporary  inmate  ;  or,  until  he  could 
get  a  "chance  across  to  the  Vineyard."  At  first  Daggett 
kept  about,  and  was  much  in  the  open  air.  While  able  to 
walk  he  met  the  deacon,  and  singular — nay,  unaccountable 
as  it  seemed  to  the  niece — the  uncle  soon  contracted  a  spe- 
cies of  friendship  for,  not  to  say  intimacy  with,  this  stranger. 
In  the  first  place,  the  deacon  was  a  little  particular  in  not 


51       COOPER  THE  NOVELIST  AND  EBENEZEE  SAGE. 

having  intimates  among  the  necessitous,  and  the  Widow 
White  soon  let  it  be  knowu  that  her  guest  had  not  even  a 
"red  cent."  He  had  chattels,  however,  that  were  of  some 
estimation  among  seamen  ;  and  Boswell  Gardiner,  or  "Gar- 
'ner,"  as  he  was  called,  the  young  seaman  par  excellence  of 
the  Point,  one  who  had  been  not  only  a- whaling,  but  who 
had  also  been  a-sealing,  and  who  at  that  moment  was  on 
board  the  deacon's  schooner,  in  the  capacity  of  master,  had 
been  applied  to  for  advice  and  assistance.  By  the  agency 
of  Mr.  Garner,  as  the  young  mate  was  then  termed,  sundry 
palms,  sets  of  sail-needles,  a  fid  or  two,  and  various  similar 
articles,  that  obviously  could  no  longer  be  of  any  use  to 
Daggett,  were  sent  across  to  the  "Harbor,"  and  disposed  of 
there,  to  advantage,  among  the  many  seamen  of  that  port. 
By  these  means  the  stranger  was,  for  a  few  weeks,  enabled 
to  pay  his  way,  the  board  he  got  being  both  poor  and 
cheap. 

A  much  better  result  attended  this  intercourse  with  Gar- 
diner than  that  of  raising  the  worn-out  seaman's  immediate 
ways  and  means.  Between  Mary  Pratt  and  Eoswell  Gar- 
diner there  existed  an  intimacy  of  long  standing  for  their 
years,  as  well  as  of  some  peculiar  features,  to  which  there 
will  be  occasion  to  advert  hereafter.  Mary  was  the  very 
soul  of  charity  in  all  its  significations,  and  this  Gardiner 
knew.  When,  therefore,  Daggett  became  really  necessitous 
in  the  way  of  comforts  that  even  money  could  not  command 
beneath  the  roof  of  Widow  White,  the  young  man  let  the 
fact  be  known  to  the  deacon's  niece,  who  immediately  pro- 
vided sundry  delicacies  that  were  acceptable  to  the  palate 
of  even  disease.  As  for  her  uncle,  nothing  was  at  first 
said  to  him  on  the  subject.  Although  his  intimacy  with 
Daggett  went  on  increasing,  and  they  were  daily  more  and 
more  together  in  long  and  secret  conference,  not  a  sugges- 
tion was  ever  made  by  the  deacon  in  the  way  of  contribut- 
ing to  his  new  friend's  comforts.  To  own  the  truth,  to  give 
was  the  last  idea  that  ever  occurred  to  this,  man's  thoughts. 

Mary  Pratt  was  observant,  and  of  a  mind  so  constituted 
that  its  observations  usually  led  her  to  safe  and  accurate 
deductions.     Great  was  the   surprise   of  all  on  the  Point 


COOPER  THE  NOVELIST  AND  EBENEZEB  SAGE.  52 

when  it  became  known  that  Deacon  Pratt  had  purchased 
and  put  into  the  water  the  new  sea-going  craft  that  was 
building  on  speculation  at  Southold.  Not  only  had  he 
done  this,  but  he  had  actually  bought  some  half-worn  cop- 
per, and  had  it  placed  on  the  schooner's  bottom,  as  high  as 
the  bends,  ere  he  had  her  launched.  While  the  whole 
neighborhood  was  "exercised"  with  conjectures  on  the  mo- 
tive which  could  induce  the  deacon  to  become  a  ship-owner 
in  his  age,  Mary  did  not  fail  to  impute  it  to  some  secret 
but  powerful  influence  that  the  sick  stranger  had  obtained 
over  him.  He  now  spent  nearly  half  his  time  in  private 
communications  with  Daggett;  and,  on  more  than  one  oc- 
casion, when  the  niece  had  taken  some  light  article  of  food 
over  for  the  use  of  the  last,  she  found  him  and  her  uncle 
examining  one  or  two  dirty  and  well-worn  charts  of  the 
ocean.  Not  only  was  the  schooner  purchased,  and  cop- 
pered and  launched,  and  preparations  made  to  fit  her  for 
sea,  but  "young  Gar'ner"  was  appointed  to  command  her. 

Here  follows  an  account  of  Roswell  Gardiner  and  his 
ancestry,  and  more  about  him  and  Mary  Pratt,  which  is 
omitted. 

Such  was  the  state  of  things  when  the  deacon  returned 
from  meeting,  as  related  in  the  opening  chapter.  At  his 
niece's  suggestion  of  sending  to  the  Harboi  for  Dr.  Sage, 
he  had  demurred,  not  only  on  account  of  the  expense,  but 
for  a  still  more  cogent  reason.  To  tell  the  truth,  he  was 
exceedingly  distrustful  of  any  one's  being  admitted  to  a 
communication  with  Daggett,  who  had  revealed  to  him 
matters  that  he  deemed  to  be  of  great  importance,  but  who 
still  retained  the  key  to  his  most  material  mystery.  Never- 
theless, decency,  to  say  nothing  of  the  influence  of  what 
folks  "would  say,'  the  Archimedean  lever  of  all  society  of 
puritanical  origin,  exhorted  him  to  consent  to  his  niece's 
proposal. 

"It  is  such  a  roundabout  road  to  get  to  the  Harbor, 
Mary,"  the  uncle  slowly  objected,  after  a  pause. 

"Boats  often  go  there,  and  return  in  a  few  hours." 

"Yes,  yes — boats  ;  but  I'm  not  certain  it  is  lawful  to  work 
boats  of  a  Sabbath,  chill." 


53       COOPER  THE  NOVELIST  AND  EBENEZEK  SAGE. 

"I  believe,  sir,  it  was  deemed  lawful  to  do  good  on  the 
Lord's  day." 

"Yes^  if  a  body  was  certain  it  would  do  any  good.  To 
be  sure,  Sage  is  a  capital  doctor — as  good  as  any  going  in 
these  parts — but,  half  the  time,  money  paid  for  doctor's 
stuff  is  thrown  away. 

"Still,  I  think  it  our  duty  to  try  to  serve  a  fellow-creature 
that  is  in  distress  ;  and  Daggett,  I  fear,  will  not  go  through 
the  week,  if  indeed  he  go  through  the  night." 

•'I  should  be  sorry  to  have  him  die !"  exclaimed  the  dea- 
con, looking  really  distressed  at  this  intelligence.  "Eight 
sorry  should  I  be  to  have  him  die — just  yet." 

The  last  two  words  were  uttered  unconsciously,  and  in  a 
way  to  cause  the  niece  to  regret  that  they  had  been  uttered 
at  all.  But  they  had  come,  notwithstanding,  and  the  dea- 
con saw  that  he  had  been  too  frank.  The  fault  could  not 
now  be  remedied,  and  he  was  fain  to  allow  his  words  to 
produce  their  own  effect. 

"Die  he  will,  I  fear,  uncle,"  returned  Mary,  after  a  short 
pause  ;  "and  sorry  should  I  be  to  have  it  so  without  our 
feeling  the  consolation  of  knowing  we  had  done  all  in  our 
power  to  save  him,  or  to  serve  him." 

"It  is  so  far  to  the  Harbor,  that  no  good  might  come  of 
a  messenger;  and  the  money  paid  him  would  be  thrown 
away,  too." 

"I  dare  say  Koswell  Gar'ner  would  be  glad  to  go  to  help 
a  fellow-creature  who  is  suffering.  He  would  not  think  of 
demanding  any  pay." 

"Yes,  that  is  true.  I  will  say  this  for  Gar'ner,  that  he 
is  as  reasonable  a  young  man,  when  he  does  an  odd  job,  as 
any  one  I  know.     I  like  to  employ  him." 

Mary  understood  this  very  well.  It  amounted  to  neither 
more  nor  less  than  the  deacon's  perfect  conscientiousness 
that  the  youth  had,  again  and  again,  given  him  his  time  and 
his  services  gratuitously  ;  and  that,  too,  more  than  once, 
under  circumstances  when  it  would  have  been  quite  proper 
that  he  should  look  for  a  remuneration.  A  slight  color 
stole  over  the  face  of  the  niece  as  memory  recalled  to  her 
mind  these  different  occasions.     Was  that  sensitive  blush 


COOPER  THE  NOVELIST  AND  EBENEZER  SAGE.       54 

owing  to  her  perceiving  the  besetting  weakness  of  one  who 
stood  in  the  light  of  a  parent  to  her,  and  toward  whom  she 
endeavored  to  feel  the  affection  of  a  child  ?  We  shall  not 
gainsay  this,  so  far  as  a  portion  of  the  feeling  which  pro- 
duced that  blush  was  concerned  ;  but,  certain  it  is,  that  the 
thought  that  Boswell  had  exerted  himself  to  oblige  her 
uncle,  obtruded  itself  somewhat  vividly  among  her  other 
recollections. 

"Well,  sir,"  the  niece  resumed,  after  another  brief  pause, 
"we  can  send  for  Eoswell,  if  you  think  it  best,  and  ask  him 
to  do  the  poor  man  this  act  of  kindness." 

"Tour  messengers  after  doctors  are  always  in  such  a 
hurry  !  I  dare  say  Gar'ner  would  think  it  necessary  to  hire 
a  horse  to  cross  Shelter  Island,  and  then  perhaps  a  boat  to 
get  across  to  the  Harbor.  If  no  boat  was  to  be  found,  it 
might  be  another  horse  to  gallop  away  round  the  head  of 
the  Bay.  Why,  five  dollars  would  scarce  meet  the  cost  of 
such  a  race !" 

"If  five  dollars  were  needed,  Eoswell  would  pay  them 
out  of  his  own  pocket,  rather  than  ask  another  to  assist 
him  in  doing  an  act  of  charity.  But,  no  horse  will  be  nec- 
essary ;  the  whale-boat  is  at  the  wharf,  and  is  ready  for 
use  at  any  moment." 

"True,  I  had  forgotten  the  whale-boat.  If  that  is  home 
the  doctor  might  be  brought  across  at  a  reasonable  rate, 
especially  if  Gar'ner  will  volunteer.  I  dare  say  Daggett's 
effects  will  pay  the  bill  for  attendance,  since  they  have  an- 
swered, as  yet,  to  meet  the  Widow  White's  charges.  As  I 
live,  here  comes  Gar'ner  at  this  moment,  and  just  as  we 
want  him." 

"I  knew  of  no  other  to  ask  to  cross  the  bays,  sir,  and 
sent  for  Boswell  before  you  returned.  Had  you  not  got 
back  as  you  did,  I  should  have  taken  on  myself  the  dutv 
of  sending  for  the  doctor." 

"In  which  case,  girl,  you  would  have  made  yourself  lia- 
ble. I  have  too  manv  demands  on  my  means  to  be  scat- 
tering dollars  broadcast.  But,  here  is  Gar'ner,  and  I  dare 
say  all  will  be  made  right." 

Gardiner  now  joined  the   uncle  and  niece,  who   had  held 


55       COOPER  THE  NOVELIST  AND  EBENEZEE  SAGE. 

this  conversation  in  the  porch,  having  hastened  up  from  the 
schooner  the  instant  he  received  Mary's  summons.  He 
was  rewarded  by  a  kind  look  and  a  friendly  shake  of  the 
hand,  each  of  which  was  slightly  more  cordial  than  those 
that  prudent  and  thoughtful  young  woman  was  accustomed 
to  bestow  on  him.  He  saw  that  Mary  was  a  little  earnest 
in  her  manner,  and  looked  curious,  as  well  as  interested,  to 
learn  why  he  had  been  summoned  at  all.  Sunday  was  kept 
so  rigidly  at  the  deacon's  that  the  young  man  did  not  dare 
visit  the  house  until  after  the  sun  had  set ;  the  New  Eng- 
land practice  of  commencing  the  Sabbath  of  a  Saturday 
evening,  and  bringing  it  to  a  close  at  the  succeeding  sun- 
set, prevailing  among  most  of  the  people  of  Suffolk,  the 
Episcopalians  forming  nearly  all  the  exceptions  to  the  us- 
age. Sunday  evening,  consequently,  was  in  great  request 
for  visits,  it  being  the  favorite  time  for  the  young  people 
to  meet,  as  they  were  not  only  certain  to  be  unemployed, 
but  to  be  in  their  best.  Roswell  Gardiner  was  in  the  prac- 
tice of  visiting  Mary  Pratt  Sunday  evenings  ;  but  he  would 
almost  as  soon  think  of  desecrating  a  church,  as  think  of 
entering  the  deacon's  abode,  on  the  Sabbath,  until  after 
sunset,  or  "sundown"  to  use  the  familiar  Americanism  that 
is  commonly  applied  to  this  hour  of  the  day,  Here  he 
was  now,  however,  wondering,  and  anxious  to  learn  why  he 
had  been  sent  for. 

"Roswell,"  said  Mary  earnestly,  slightly  coloring  again 
as  she  spoke,  "we  have  a  great  favor  to  ask.  You  know 
the  poor  old  sailor  who  has  been  staying  at  the  Widow 
"White's  this  month  or  more — he  is  now  very  low ;  so  low, 
we  think  he  ought  to  have  better  advice  than  can  be  found 
on  Oyster  Pond,  and  we  wish  to  get  Dr.  Sage  over  from  the 
Harbor.  How  to  do  it  has  been  the  question,  when  I 
thought  of  you.  If  you  could  take  the  whale-boat  and  go 
across,  the  poor  man  might  have  the  benefit  of  the  doctor's 
advice  in  the  course  of  a  few  hours." 

"Yes,"  put  in  the  uncle,  "and  I  shall  charge  nothing  for 
the  use  of  the  boat ;  so  that,  if  you  volunteer,  Gar'ner,  it 
will  leave  so  much  towards  settling  up  the  man's  accounts 
when  settling-day  comes.'-' 


COOPER  THE  NOVELIST  AND  EBENEZEE  SAGE.        56 

Roswell  Gardiner  understood  both  uncle  and  niece  per- 
fectly. The  intense  selfishness  of  the  first  was  no  more  a 
secret  to  him  than  was  the  entire  disinterestedness  of  the 
last.  He  gazed  a  moment,  in  fervent  admiration,  at  Mary ; 
then  he  turned  to  the  deacon,  and  professed  his  readiness 
to  "volunteer."  Knowing  the  man  so  well,  he  took  care 
distinctly  to  express  the  word,  so  as  to  put  the  mind  of 
this  votary  of  Mammon  at  ease. 

"Gar'ner  will  volunteer,  then,"  rejoined  the  uncle,  "and  I 
shall  charge  nothing  for  the  use  of  the  boat.  This  is  'do- 
ing as  we  would  be  done  by,'  and  is  all  right,  considering 
that  Daggett  is  sick  and  among  strangers.  The  wind  is 
fair,  or  nearly  fair,  to  go  and  to  come  back,  and  you'll  make 
a  short  trip  of  it.  Yes,  it  will  cost  nothing,  and  may  do 
the  poor  man  good." 

"Now  go  at  once,  Roswell,"  said  Mary,  in  an  entreating 
mariner ;  "and  show  the  same  skill  in  managing  the  boat 
that  you  did  the  day  you  won  the  race  against  the  Harbor 
oarsmen  " 

"I  will  do  all  that  a  man  can,  to  oblige  you,  Mary,  as 
well  as  to  serve  the  sick.  If  Dr.  Sage  should  not  be  at 
home,  am  I  to  look  for  another  physician,  Mr.  Pratt?" 

"Sage  must  be  at  home — we  can  employ  no  other.  Your 
old,  long-established  physicians  understand  how  to  consider 
practice,  and  don't  make  mistakes — by  the  way,  Gar'ner, 
you  needn'  mention  my  name  in  the  business  at  all.  Just 
say  that  a  sick  man,  at  the  "Widow  White's,  needs  his  ser- 
vices, and  that  you  had  volunteered  to  take  him  across. 
That  will  bring  him — I  know  the  man." 

Again  Gardiner  understood  what  the  deacon  meant.  He 
was  just  as  desirous  of  not  paying  the  physician  as  of  not 
paying  the  messenger.  Mary  understood  him,  too,  and 
with  a  face  more  sad  than  anxiety  had  previously  made  it 
she  walked  into  the  house,  leaving  her  uncle  and  lover  in 
the  porch.  After  a  few  more  injunctions  from  the  former, 
in  the  way  of  prudent  precaution,  the  latter  departed,  hur- 
rying down  to  the  water-side  in  order  to  take  the  boat. 

The  narrative  than  discloses  that  the  interest  which 
Deacon  Pratt  had  in  Daggett,   and  his  many  interviews 


57       COOPER  THE  NOVELIST  AND  EBENEZER  SAGE. 

•with  him,  was  owing  to  the  fact  that  the  sick  seaman  had 
disclosed  to  him  that  he  had  two  important  secrets.  One 
was  that  he  had  a  knowledge  of  the  exact  spot  in  the  South 
Seas  where  pirates  had  buried  a  considerable  amount  of 
treasure,  and  another,  that  he  knew  of  certain  previously 
unvisited  islands,  in  low  southern  latitudes,  where  seals 
existed  in  great  abundance.  When,  in  consequence  of  his 
feeble  condition,  he  had  to  be  put  ashore  on  Oyster  Pond 
Point,  he  was  on  his  way  to  Martha's  Vinyard,  where  he 
belonged,  to  make  an  arrangement  for  the  fitting  out  of  a 
vessel  to  go  to  these  two  important  places,  and  as  such  a 
vessel  was  as  easily  obtained  in  Sag-Harbor,  it  was  for  the 
purpose  of  making  this  voyage  that  Deacon  Pratt  had  pur- 
chased the  Sea  Lion,  which  he  was  then  fitting  up,  and  of 
which  Poswell  Gardiner  was  to  go  out  as  master. 

No  effort,  however,  or  ingenuity  on  the  part  of  the  Dea- 
con, could  procure  from  the  mariner  the  latitude  and  long- 
itude of  these  two  places,  in  the  hope  that  he  might  recover 
and  go  out  in  the  vessel  himself,  and  give  this  important 
information  to  the  master  when  it  became  necessary.  Th3 
narrative  continues  as  follows  : 

Dr.  Sage  now  arrived  ;  a  shrewd  observant,  intelligent 
man,  who  had  formerly  represented  the  district  in  which  he 
lived  in  Congress.  He  was  skilful  in  his  profession,  and 
soon  made  up  his  mind  concerning  the  state  of  his  patient. 
As  the  deacon  never  left  him  for  a  moment,  to  him  he  first 
communicated  his  opinion,  after  the  visit,  as  the  two  walked 
back  toward  the  well-known  dwelling  of  the  Pratts. 

"This  poor  man  is  in  the  last  stages  of  a  decline,"  said 
the  physician,  coolly,  "and  medicine  can  do  him  no  good. 
He  may  live  a  month  ;  though  it  would  not  surprise  me  to 
hear  of  his  death  in  an  hour." 

"Do  vou  think  his  time  so  short !"  exclaimed  the  deacon  ; 
"I  was  in  hopes  he  might  last  until  the  Sea  Lion  goes  out, 
and  that  a  voyage  might  help  to  set  him  up." 


COOPER  THE  NOVELIST  AND  EBENEZEE  SAGE.       58 

"Nothing  will  ever  set  him  up  again,  deacon,  you  may- 
depend  on  that.  No  sea- voyage  will  do  him  any  good  ;  and 
it  is  better  that  he  should  remain  on  shore,  on  account  of 
the  greater  comforts  he  will  get.  Does  he  belong  on  Oys- 
ter Pond  ?" 

"He  comes  from  somewhere  east,"  answered  the  deacon, 
careful  not  to  let  the  doctor  know  the  place  whence  the 
stranger  had  come,  though  to  little  purpose,  as  will  pres- 
ently be  seen.  "He  has  neither  friend  nor  acquaintance 
here  ;  though  I  should  think  his  effects  sufficient  to  meet 
all  charges." 

"Should  they  not  be,  he  is  welcome  to  my  visit,"  answer- 
ed the  doctor,  promptly  ;  for  he  well  understood  the  dea- 
con's motive  in  making  the  remark.  "I  have  enjoyed  a 
pleasant  sail  across  the  bays  with  young  Gar'ner,  who  has 
promised  to  take  me  back  again.  I  like  boating,  and  am 
always  better  for  one  of  these  sailing  excursions.  Could  I 
carry  my  patients  along,  half  of  them  would  be  benefitted 
by  the  pure  air  and  the  exercise." 

"It's  a  grateful  thing  to  meet  with  one  of  your  tempera- 
ment, doctor  ;  but  Daggett — " 

"Is  this  man  named  Daggett?"  interrupted  the  physi- 
cian. 

"I  believe  that  is  what  he  calls  himself,  though  a  body 
never  is  certain  of  what  such  people  say." 

"That's  true,  deacon  ;  your  rambling,  houseless  sailor  is 
commonly  a  great  liar — at  least,  so  have  I  always  found 
him.  Most  of  their  log  books  m  ill  not  do  to  read ;  or,  for 
that  matter,  to  be  written  out  in  full.  But  if  this  man's 
name  is  really  Daggett,  he  must  come  from  the  Vineyard. 
There  are  Daggetts  there  in  scores  ;  yes,  he  must  be  a 
Vineyard  man." 

"There  are  Daggetts  in  Connecticut,  as  I  Jmow,  of  a  cer- 
tainty— " 

"We  all  know  that,  for  it  is  a  name  of  weight  there  ;  but 
the  Vineyard  is  the  cradle  of  the  breed.  The  man  has  a 
Vineyard  look  about  him,  too.  I  dare  say,  now,  he  has  not 
been  home  for  many  a  day." 

The  deacon  was  in  an  agony.     He  was  menaced  with  the 


59       COOPER  THE  NOVELIST  AND  EBENEZER  SAGE. 

very  thing  lie  was  in  the  hope  of  staving  off,  or  a  discussion 
on  the  subject  of  the  sick  man's  previous  life.  The  doctor 
was  so  mercurial  and  quick  of  apprehension,  that,  once 
fairly  on  the  scent,  he  was  nearly  certain  he  would  extract 
everything  from  the  patient.  This  was  the  principal  reason 
why  the  deacon  did  not  wish  to  send  for  him  ;  the  expense 
though  a  serious  objection  to  one  so  niggardly,  being  of 
secondary  consideration  when  so  many  doubloons  were  at 
stake.  It  was  necessary,  however,  to  talk  en  boldly,  as 
any  appearance  of  hesitation  might  excite  the  doctor's  dis- 
trust.    The  answers,  therefore,  came  instantaneously. 

"It  may  be  as  you  say,  doctor,"  returned  the  deacon  ;  "for 
them  Vineyard  folks  (Anglice  folk)  are  great  wanderers." 

"That  they  are.  I  had  occasion  to  pass  a  day  there,  a 
few  years  since,  on  my  way  to  Boston,  and  I  found  five  wo- 
men on  the  island  to  one  man.  It  must  be  a  particularly 
conscientious  person  who -could  pass  a  week  there,  and  es- 
cape committing  the  crime  of  bigamy.  As  for  your  bach- 
elors, I  have  heard  that  a  poor  wretch  of  that  description, 
who  unluckily  found  himself  cast  ashore  there,  was  mar- 
ried three  times  the  same  morning." 

As  the  doctor  was  a  little  of  a  wag.  Deacon  Pratt  did  not 
deem  it  necessary  religiously  to  believe  all  that  now  es- 
caped him  ;  but  he  was  glad  to  keep  him  in  this  vein,  in 
order  to  prevent  his  getting  again  on  the  track  of  Daggett's 
early  life.  The  device  succeeded,  Martha's  Vineyard  being 
a  standing  joke  for  all  in  that  quartet-  of  the  world,  on  the 
subject  of  the  ladies. 

Mary  was  in  the  porch  to  receive  her  uncle  and  the  phy- 
sician. It  was  unnecessary  for  her  to  ask  any  questions, 
for  her  speaking  countenance  said  all  that  was  required  in 
order  to  obtain  an  answer. 

"He's  in  a  bad  way,  certainly,  young  lady,"  observed  the 
doctor,  taking  a  seat  on  one  of  the  benches,  "and  I  can  give 
no  hope.  How  long  he  may  live  is  another  matter.  If  he 
has  friends  whom  he  wishes  to  see,  or  if  he  has  any  affairs 
to  settle,  the  truth  should  be  told  him  at  once,  and  no  time 
lost." 

"He  knows  nothing  of  his  friends,"  interrupted  the  dea- 


COOPER  TIIE  NOVELIST  AND  EEENEZER  SAGE.  60 

eon,  quite  thrown  off  his  guard  by  his  own  eagerness,  and 
unconscious,  at  the  moment,  of  the  manner  in  which  he 
was  committing  himself  on  the  subject  of  a  knowledge  of 
the  sick  man's  birth-place,  "not  having  been  on  the  Vine- 
yard, or  heard  from  there,  since  he  first  left  home,  quite 
fifty  years  since." 

The  doctor  saw  the  contradiction,  and  it  set  him  think- 
ing, and  conjecturing,  but  he  was  too  discreet  to  betray 
himself.  An  explanation  there  probably  was,  and  he  trust- 
ed to  time  to  ascertain  it. 

"What  has  become  of  Captain  Gar'ner?"  he  asked,  look- 
ing curiously  around,  as  if  he  expected  to  find  him  tied  to 
the  niece's  apron-string, 

Mary  blushed,  but  she  was  too  innocent  to  betray  any 
real  confusion. 

"Re  has  gone  back  to  the  schooner,  in  order  to  have  the 
boat  ready  for  your  return." 

"And  that  return  must  take  place,  young  lady,  as  soon  as 
I  have  drunk  two  cups  of  your  tea.  I  have  patients  at  the 
Harbor  who  must  yet  be  visited  this  evening,  aud  the  wind 
goes  down  with  the  sun.  Let  the  poor  man  take  the  draughts 
I  have  left  for  him — they  will  soothe  him,  and  help  his 
breathing — more  than  this  m\  skill  can  do  nothing  for  him. 
Deacon,  you  need  say  nothing  of  my  visit — I  am  sufficiently 
repaid  by  the  air,  the  sail,  and  Miss  Maiy's  welcome.  I 
perceive  that  she  is  glad  to  see  me,  and  that  is  something, 
between  so  young  a  woman  and  so  old  a  man.  And  now 
for  the  two  cups  of  tea." 

The  tea  was  drunk,  and  the  doctor  took  his  leave,  shak- 
ing his  head  as  he  repeated  to  the  niece,  that  the  medical 
science  could  do  nothing  for  the  sick  man. 

That  night  Daggett  dies  without  revealing  the  latitude 
and  longitude  of  the  places.  The  Sea  Lion  goes  on  the 
voyage  to  find  them  with  the  aid  of  an  old  chart  found  in 
the  seaman's  sea-chest,  and  a  series  of  adventures  follow. 

D. 


LETTERS, 


-:o:- 


Tlie  following  letters  and  extracts  from  letters,  written 
by  Dr.  Ebenezer  Sage,  in  the  early  part  of  this  century, 
have  been  selected  from  letters  of  the  doctor  in  possession 
of  ex-Chief  Justice  Charles  P.  Daly,  being  regarded  as  of 
sufficient  interest  to  be  published : 

An  account  of  Dr.  Edenezer  Sage,  by  Wm.  S.  Pelletreau, 

IN  A  NOTE   TO    THE    EECORDS    OF    SOUTHAMPTON,  VOL.  Ill, 
PAGE  363. 

Dr.  Ebenezer  Sage  was  for  many  years  a  prominent  citi- 
zen of  Sag-Harbor.  He  was  born  in  Portland,  Ct.,  1755. 
He  studied  the  profession  of  medicine  and  came  to  East- 
Hampton,  N.  T.,  in  1789,  where  he  practiced  13  years.  He 
married  Ruth,  daughter  of  Dr.  Wm.  Smith,  of  Southamp- 
ton, in  1790,  and  went  to  his  native  place  and  remained  five 
years,  and  from  thence  removed  to  Sag-Harbor  in  1801. 
He  was  elected  to  Congress  in  1809  and  served  three  terms. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Convention  that  formed  the  State 
Constitution  in  1821,  and  also  held  the  office  of  Master  in 
Chancery.  He  died  January  20th,  1834,  and  his  wife  Ptuth 
died  in  May,  1831,  aged  66.  Their  remains,  after  resting 
many  years  in  the  old  burying  ground  at  Sag-Harbor,  were 
removed  to  Oakland  Cemetery,  Sag-Harbor. 

He  was  a  man  of  elevated  chaiacter  and  utterly  above 
the  craft  and  chicanary  which  too  often  characterized  poli- 
ticians Although,  he  had  the  faculty  of  expressing  his 
thoughts  in  writing  with  much  facility,  he  had  not  the  com- 
mand of  words  which  makes  the  orator,  and  in  his  congres- 
sional career,  and  as  a  member  of  the  Constitutional  Con- 
vention, he  was  never  absent  from  his  seat  and  never  failed 
to  vote  on  every  question,  and  never  made  a  speech. 


62  LETTERS. 

He  was  a  descendant  of  David  Sage,  who  came  to  this 
country  from  Wales  about  1660,  and  died  in  1704,  and  is 
buried  in  the  old  cemetery  at  Middletown,  Ct.  David  Sage 
left  two  sons,  John  and  Timothy  ;  the  latter  had  a  son 
David  who  was  the  father  of  the  subject  of  the  above 
sketch.  Dr.  Ebenezer  had  one  son,  Dr.  John  Sage,  fcr 
many  years  a  physician  in  Sag-Harbor,  and  lived  in  the  old 
gamble  roofed  house  east  of  the  Episcopal  Church,  north 
side  of  Sage  street,  which  was  named  in  his  honor. 


On  Public  Aeeairs  in  Connecticut. 

Chatham,  Sept.  13,  1800. 
Dear  Friend  : 

Notwithstanding  you  are  two  or  three  letters  in  my  debt, 
yet  as  Topping  is  here  I  will  risque  another  small  item  to 
the  account,  and  just  remind  you  that  if  the  whole  is  not 
soon  balanced  I  shall  begin  to  calculate  interest. 

The  next  day  after  to-morrow  will  be  the  great,  the  im- 
portant day  when  the  freemen  of  the  state  will  assemble  to 
choose  what  they  call  Deputies  to  the  General  Assembly. 
The  state  was  never  before  in  such  agitation,  the  British 
federalists  fear  the  republicans  will  be  able  to  elect  a  ma- 
jority of  their  own  sentiments  into  the  State  Legislature, 
which  will  give  Mr.  Jefferson  9  Electors,  or  none  for  either 
of  the  Candidates — they  likewise  fear  2  or  3  republican 
characters  will  find  their  way  into  the  next  Congress,  &c. 
This  has  roused  the  ire  of  half  the  little  petty  foggers  in 
the  state.  Our  federal  Newspapers  have  for  some  weeks 
teemed  with  the  grossest  scurrillity  and  abuse  of  Mr.  Jef- 
ferson. That  capacious  squirt,  of  political  filth,  The  Cour- 
ant  has  for  some  time  past  been  discharging  the  most  abom- 
inable torrents  of  calumny  and  blaekgardism  that  ever  is- 
sued from  any  press  in  the  country,  they  even  suggest  that 
should  Mr.  Jefferson  be  elected  he  would  blow  down  all  the 
Meetinghouses  and  hang  all  the  priests,  and  to  this  our 
Pulpits  resound  with  the  most  dreadful  Anathemas  against 
those  who  support  such  a  vile  Atheist,  and  they  prove  him 
an  Atheist  to  demonstration,  from  the  amount  he  has  given 


LETTERS.  63 

us  lie  in  Ills  Notes  on  Virginia  of  the  Bones,  the  Oyster 
Shells,  and  the  Indians — so  it  goes.  I  doubt  the  issue,  the 
old  cry,  "the  Church  is  in  danger"  will  dupe  a  great  many 
well  meaning  men. 

Yours  truly, 

E.  SAGE. 


To  Henry  P.  Dering,  Sag-Harbor,  N.  Y.,  describing  the 

INCONVENIENCIES  OF  TRAVELING  AT  THAT  DATE. 

Washington,  Dec.  6th,  1810. 
My  Dear  Friend  : 

I  arrived  at  this  place  on  the  4th,  a  week  from  New- 
York  ;  through  perils  by  flood  and  field :  foundered  in  the 
mud  at  midnight  in  New  Jersey  .and  obliged  to  hire  the 
driver  to  watch  the  baggage  'till  morning  and  then  send 
him  after  a  Jersey  farmer  to  come  with  his  ox  team  and 
drag  the  stage  out  of  the  mire.  The  next  night  befogged 
and  becalmed  upon  the  Deleware,  and  then  caught  in  a 
violent  tempest  of  wind  and  snow  and  hail  upon  the  Ches- 
apeak,  so  dark  that  our  Captain  cast  anker  for  fear  that  he 
should  run  upon  Pools  Island  ;  his  anker  dragged  and  he 
was  obliged  to  put  over  his  best  bower  and  ride  out  the 
storm  until  morning,  when  we  found  oveselves  so  nea,r  the 
Island  and  the  tempest  so  violent  that  our  Captain  was 
obliged  to  slip  his  cable,  and  in  a  short  time  we  were  in 
Baltimore  at  the  rate  of  12  nots  an  hour ;  from  Baltimore 
(40  miles)  the  stages  were  in  many  places  near  hub  deep 
in  snow  and  mud. 

On  the  Chesapeake  I  passed  a  very  uncomfortable  night. 
There  was  80  passengers  and  but  18  berths,  we  drew  for 
them  and  I  unfortunately  drew  a  blank,  of  course  was  com- 
pelled  to  sleep  in  my  chair  or  not  sleep  at  all.  I  should 
have  left  New-York  a  day  or  two  earlier,  but  Dr.  Mitchel 
persuaded  me  to  take  the  steamboat  line  with  him,  but  I 
lost  him  at  Brunswick  and  never  saw  anything  more  of  him 


64  LETTEBS. 

until  I  arrived  at  the  city.  My  stage  companions  most  of 
the  way  from  Brunswick  were  7  federalists,  among  whom 
was  Laban  Wheaton  and  notwithstanding  our  perils  and 
disappointments  I  never  had  a  more  diverting  journey. 

The  two  days  I  have  been  here  have  spent  in  hearing 
documents,  they  are  very  voluminous,  I  will  send  them  on 
as  soon  as  they  are  printed.  I  have  nothing  of  news  to  tell 
you  and  cannot  at  present  say  what  will  be  the  completion 
of  the  session,  tempestious  or  calm.  I  believe  however  it 
will  be  the  less  storir^  than  the  last,  our  course  of  duty  is 
plain,  if  we  have  wisdom  and  firmness  to  pursue  it.  Of  all 
this  I  can  judge  better  when  the  battle  begins. 

Sawyer  has  not  yet  made  his  appearance.  They  are  tell- 
ing a  good  story  about  him  here.  That  not  long  since  he 
agreed  to  marry  a  young  lady,  and  they  appointed  a  day ; 
on  which  day  he  was  observed  to  be  making  preparations 
for  a  journey  ;  a  friend  asked  him  if  he  had  not  forgotten 
that  he  must  be  married  on  that  day ;  he  started  and  said 
it  had  really  slipped  his  memory,  but  that  he  would  fulfill 
his  promise,  which  he  accordingly  did  and  set  off  upon  his 
journey  the  next  day,  and  has  not  been  heard  of  since. 

I  am  anxious  how  my  family  will  fare,  especially  if  John 
goes  to  New  Yoik.  "Will  you  be  good  enough,  occasionally 
to  call  in  and  know  their  wants  ?  John,  when  I  left  him 
in  New  York,  agreed  to  return  and  spend  two  or  three 
months  in  the  office  of  Miller  and  Gardiner  and  I  engaged 
board  for  him  at  Eldredges,  as  I  hope  that  he  will  not  re- 
linquish the  plan.  He  appeared  to  be  much  pleased  with 
New  York  especially  the  Play  and  steam  engine.  I  took 
him  with  me  to  visit  Dr.  Jn.  C.  Osborn  who  gave  him  an 
invitation  to  visit  his  house  and  become  acquainted  with 
his  young  Gent'n  and  attend  Chemecal  Lectures,  &c. 

Remember  me  to  Mrs.  Dering  and  the.  family. 

Yours  truly, 

"  E.  SAGE. 


LETTERS.  65 

Addressed  to  Henry  P.  Deris  g,  Sag-Harbor,  N.  Y. 

Washington,  May  10th,  1812. 
Dear  Friend  : 

It  is   feunday  and   G —  Las  exchanged  for  me  a  $20 

Manhattan  Note  for  one  on  the  Washington  bank.  It  was 
all  he  had  of  that  description  and  considering  your  distress 
I  ruwe  thought  it  best  to  send  it  on,  notwithstanding  it 
compels  me  to  write  another  letter,  and  what  to  write  I 
know  not ;  not  that  there  is  any  want  of  matter.  If  we  take 
up  politics,  both  as  it  respects  the  general  government  or 
our  own,  and  still  less  if  we  grope  through  the  dirty,  blind 
allies  of  intrigue,  and  political  swingling — but  this  is  a  dis- 
gusting subject,  and  particularly  here,  the  great  resevoir, 
into  v/hich  are  emptied  all  the  dirty  rills  of  filth  from  all 
quarters  of  the  union,  but  more  from  the  state  of  the  Man- 
hattoes  than  all  the  others.  For  three  or  four  years  past 
politics  is  all  together  a  matter  of  bargain  and  sale,  with 
them  like  their  merchantile  speculations.  Give  me  offices 
and  I  will  give  you  votes,  help  out  our  bank,  or  set  types 
for  us  and  we  will  give  you  stock,  money  and  jobs,  scratch 
my  back  and  I  will  scratch  your  elbow. 

I  have  learned  the  secret  about  our  friend  S 's  late 

management.  I  am  not  at  liberty  to  tell  you  the  particu- 
lars. It  is  of  a  nature  however  to  move  my  sorrow  rather 
than  excite  any  other  passion.  Necessity  has  no  laws  you 
know.  Poor  fellow  I  pity  him,  he  would  be  honest  if  he 
dare — a  man  who  is  strugling  for  existance  his  and  that  of 
his  family  will  often  kiss  the  rod  of  power,  that  he  would 
despise  with  a  noble  daring  in  other  circumstances — 

Enough  of  this,  let  me  fill  up  the  paper  with  lighter  mat- 
ter. 1  was  last  Wednesday  evening  at  Dolly's  Levee,  where 
Coles,  the  President's  secretary  informed  me  that  the  Pres- 
ident wishes  me  to  take  a  family  dinner  with  him  on  Sat- 
urday at  3  o'clock — a  select  mess  of  6  or  7.  This  promises 
something  besides  eating  and  drinking  which  his  public 
dinners  do  not ;  consisting  generally  of  about  30.  I  was 
there  at  the  hour  and  we  were  entertained  until  4  with  de- 
sultory conversation  and  looking  at  the  pretty  things  the 
good  Lady  presented   us,  such   as   needle  work,   drawings 


66  LETTERS. 

and  dead  birds  embalmed  with  tow  or  some  other  kind  of 
stuffing,  which  the  Ladies  of  Philadelphia  and  elsewhere 
had  sent  her,  and  dedicated  to  her  as  the  Protectres  of  the 
fine  arts.  At  4  we  sat  down  to  dinner,  Gen.  Brown  and 
Smiley  from  Pennsylvania,  old  Gov'n  Penier  of  Tenn.,  Mor- 
row from  Ohio,  Green  from  Massachusetts  and  Albert  Gal- 
litin  formerly  of  Geneva  now  of  Washington  and  myself,  7, 
besides  the  President  and  Dolly  and  Mr.  Secretary,  not  of 
foreign  but  of  home  relations.  After  finishing  our  Beef 
and  other  meats  and  fish,  the  desert  and  wine  was  brought 
on,  consisting  of  various  kinds  of  eatables  such  as  Icecream, 
Walnuts,  Chestnuts,  peanuts,  Jellies  and  sweetmeats,  fruit 
and  various  species  of  cake  the  names  of  which  I  am  ignor- 
ant. Over  this  light  stuff  we  sat  until  sunset,  talking  of 
almost  everything  but  politics,  when  we  took  french  leave 
and  departed  to  our  homes  all  perfectly  sober. 

I  know  not  when  I  have  laughed  more  in  a  given  time — 
a  few  glasses  of  Wine  soon  broke  down  all  distinction  be- 
twixt us  small  folks  and  the  master  of  the  feast,  brought 
something  like  a  maiden  blush  upon  the  little  man's  cheek 
and  elevated  him  just  high  enough  for  anecdotes,  of  which 
he  has  an  inexhaustable  fund,  relates  them  admirable  well, 
with  a  chaste  and  pure  style  and  considerable  comic  humor, 
not  a  word  too  much  or  too  little,  he  will  relate  30  in  the 
same  time  some  men  would  one.  Here  acted  in  a  character 
I  never  before  saw  him,  that  of  a  social  companion.  In 
general  he  is  sedate  and  as  modest  as  a  nun.  It  was  a 
family  dinner  and  the  only  one  I  ever  enjoyed  at  his  house. 
Our  dinner  parties  here  are  generally  so  numerous  that  I 
should  prefer  staying  at  home  and  dining  upon  salt  herring. 
When  I  look  upon  this  little  man  and  see  him  struggling 
with  the  honest  and  most  persevering  industry  of  a  good 
patriot,  to  stem  the  torrent  of  abuse  and  corruption  that  is 
setting  in  upon  him,  foreign  and  domestic,  I  puty  him,  that 
his  lot  has  fallen  on  such  evil  times. 

He  has  not  been  ten  rods  from  his  house  this  winter,  ex- 
cept at  the  burial  of  the  Yice  President,  and  then  he  came 
near  having  his  neck  broken  by  the  fright  of  his  horses  at 
the  firing  of  the  marines  into  the  grave  of  the   old  Gentle- 


LETTERS.  67 

ir.an.  He  appears  to  be  in  good  health,  but  as  light  as  a 
gull.  What  there  is  of  him  must  be  of  brass,  if  he  can  live 
3  years  longer,  in  the  times  that  are  approaching,  assailed 
by  scoundrels  of  all  degrees  and  metres,  gome  endeavoring 
to  kick  him  out  of  the  way,  and  others  to  get  jobs  out  of 
him.  Napoiion's  situation  is  not  so  laborious  and  difficult, 
he  has  nobody's  will  to  consult  or  pursue  but  his  own  and 
has  half  a  million  of  bayonets  to  carry  it  into  execution. 


Good  Morning, 


E.  SAGE. 


Addressed  :  Doctor  William  Crawford.  Gettysbubg,  Adams 
County,  Pennsylvania. 

Sag-Harbor,  July  24th,  1814. 
Dear  Friend  : 

You  must  pay  a  pistareen  to  the  Revenue  for  this  letter 
which  is  in  greater  need  of  the  money  than  you  are,  I 
therefore  tax  you  that  sum  pro  bono  publico,  and  as  it  re- 
spects yourself  I  shall  endeavor  to  give  you  the  worth  of 
the  money  in  news.  Should  we  in  this  quarter  make  dairy 
or  weekly  reports  of  the  movements  of  the  British  squad- 
ron, their  acts  and  doings,  we  could  furnish  as  rich  a  report 
tor  the  quid  nuncs,  as  the  reporters  on  the  Chesapeake. 
Our  blockading  squadron  is  often  as  large  as  theirs  and 
quite  as  rnischevious.  On  my  return  here  last  spring,  7  of 
their  floating  bastions  were  at  the  mouth  of  this  harbor 
taking  in  water  from  a  little  island  which  they  have  in  pos- 
session and  where  they  fat  their  Yankee  cattle  which  come 
to  them  too  lean  for  immediate  use.  Yesterday  the  squad- 
ron consisted  of  5  ships,  to-day  only  two,  their  boats  are 
every  night  out  in  all  directions  in  pursuit  of  coasters,  trade 
and  plunder.  Yesterday  two  deserters  were  here  from  the 
Superb.  They  took  a  boat  from  one  of  the  ship's  tenders 
and.  landed  about  20  miles  from  this  and  travelled  nearly 
all  the  distance  without  entering  a  house,  being  told  on 
board  the  ship  that  the  American  government  had  agreed 


68  LETTERS. 

to  send  all  deserters  back  to  be  banged.  One  of  thern,  a 
frenchman  by  birth  but  brought  up  in  Ireland,  the  other  a 
prussiau,  both  young  and  intelligent  and  say  they  were  im- 
pressed They  report  that  on  board  the  fleet  the  talk  is, 
that  they  expect  evejy  day  a  fleet  of  16  men-of-war  and 
Wellington's  army  to  come  into  the  Sound,  land  upon  Long 
Island  and  take  New  York,  and  that  the  Sylph  (a  sloop  of 
war)  which  has  been  on  this  station  all  summer  sailed  about 
6  days  ago  to  look  up  and  pilot  in  this  huge  fleet.  It  is  a 
fact  that  the  Sylph  has  been  missing  many  days.  The  peo- 
ple furnished  these  poor  tars  with  some  money  and  they 
have  started  for  New  York,  where  we  learn  a  great  alarm 
prevails  in  consequence  of  intelligence  from  various  quar- 
ters that  their  city  is  the  object  of  the  banditti  lately  ar- 
rived at  Halifax.  The  whole  country  is  in  motion  throw- 
ing up  works  at  Hellgate,  Brooklin  heights,  &c. 

You  will  recollect  a  Joshua  Penny  who  was  last  summer 
taken  from  his  bed  near  this  by  the  crew  of  a  British  barge 
carried  on  board  the  Bamillies,  put  in  irons  and  upon  an 
allowance  cf  bread  and  water,  conveyed  to  Halifax  where 
he  has  been  in  prison  until  a  few  weeks  since,  when  he  was 
released  by  an  order  from  Berkley,  his  crime  being  em- 
ployed as  a  pilot  to  a  torpedo  boat.  In  consequence  of  his 
being  a  non-combattant  our  Commissary  of  piisoners  con- 
fined at  Providence  by  way  of  retalliation  the  sailing  mas- 
ter of  the  Eamillies.  This  Penny  is  a  desperado,  he  was 
15  years  an  impressed  seaman  on  board  the  British  fleet, 
from  which  he  made  his  escape  and  lived  three  years  among 
the  Hottentots  or  Bushmen  where  he  made  his  escape. 
His  adventure  during  these  years  beats  Robinson  Crusoe 
all  to  nothing.  On  his  return  here  he  swore  to  me  that 
his  life  would  be  devoted  to  blowing  up  a  British  ship. 
He  went  on  to  New  York  and  after  a  week  or  two  made  his 
appearance  here  apain  in  company  with  a  Yankee  despera- 
do. It  appears  that  they  and  7  or  8  others  had  conducted 
a  torpedo  boat  to  within  7  or  8  miles  of  this  place,  where 
they  anchored  on  account  of  the  wind.  Waile  they  were 
here  the  wind  rose  to  a  tempest  during  which  one  of  the 
men  attempted  to  swim  on  shore,  his  comrades  seeing  him 


LETTERS.  69 

in  danger  of  drowning  cut  the  cable  to  give  him  relief,  but 
the  mau  drowned  and  the  boat  drove  on  shore  among  the 
rocks  and  knocked  off  her  keel,  this  was  in  the  evening,  the 
next  morning  a  number  of  the  garrison  started  in  boats  to 
assist  in  getting  her  off,  and  about  9  o'clock  I  observed  the 
two  frigates  (which  lay  before  the  harbor)  make  sail  and 
steer  for  the  place  where  the  torpedo  was.  I  then  remark- 
ed that  some  rascal  had  given  them  information,  which 
since  proves  to  be  correct ;  wind  and  tide  prevented  the 
frigates  from  arriving  at  the  place  until  the  afternoon.  As 
soon  as  they  hove  in  sight  the  Captain  of  the  Torpedo  after 
removing  the  apparatus  into  the  woods,  put  a  barrel  of 
powder  into  the  boat  and  some  straw  and  set  fire  to  it,  but 
the  straw  being  wet  it  did  not  explode  under  half  an  hour 
and  not  until  after  the  British  had  landed,  who  however 
never  went  near  it.  As  soon  as  the  ship  got  within  gunshot 
of  the  shore  they  opened  a  most  tremendous  fire  upon  the 
poor  boat,  and  good  old  deacon  Mulford's  house  who  together 
with  his  family  were  3  or  4  miles  off  at  church.  Under 
this  fire  they  landed  about  100  sailors  and  marines  who 
soon  drove  about  a  dozen  Malitia  who  had  been  firing  at 
them  into  the  woods  and  then  went  to  the  deacon's  house 
which  stood  near  the  beach  and  was  badly  battered  with 
their  cannon  balls,  and  after  robbing  it  of  2  or  300  dollars 
in  clothing,  breaking  the  clock  and  looking  glasses,  des- 
troying the  furniture,  doors  and  windows,  proceeded  to 
make  war  upon  his  sheep,  poultry  and  pigs,  of  the  former 
they  carried  off  about  30  and  many  of  the  latter.  They 
then  went  on  board  and  returned  to  their  anchorage. 
Thus  ended  the  Torpedo  w&r. 

I  would  give  you  a  description  of  this  torpedo  if  I  could 
intelligibly  and  reasonably  within  bounds.  It  is  upon  an 
entire  new  construction,  cost  $1,500  and  was  projected  by 
an  ingenious  artist  in  New  York  at  the  expense  of  a  few 
private  gentlemen,  and  is  I  think  better  calculated  to  effect 
its  object  than  any  hitherto  attempted.  It  is  a  bomb  proof 
thing  and  calculated  to  go  boldly  up  to  a  74  in  the  daytime 
and  blow  her  up.  The  boat  will  contain  about  10  men,  a 
small  part  of  which  is  above  water  and  of  the  thickness  of 


70  LETTERS. 

4  or  5  feet  of  timber  and  iron  bars,  she  is  kept  upright  by 
a  cast  iron  keel,  weight  1,500,  is  propelled  by  a  spiral  oar 
at  the  rate  they  say  of  4  miles  an  hour.  The  contrivance 
of  keeping  off  boarders  and  exploding  their  powder  under 
the  bottom  of  the  ship  is  very  ingenious  and  quite  original. 
Poor  Penny  is  quite  inconsolable  for  the  death  of  his  poor 
torpedo,  but  they  have  promised  him  another. 

He  was  so  sure  of  blowing  up  the  Superb  and  said  he 
should  then  be  ready  to  die.  The  Commander  of  the  Su- 
perb howevt  r  received  an  anonimous  letter  from  New-York 
about  a  week  before  the  boat  arrived  in  these  waters  in- 
forming of  the  time  she  would  start  and  her  place  of  des- 
tination, and  the  next  day  this  90  gun  ship  went  to  sea 
and  did  not  return  under  10  or  12  days. 

This  country  is  full  of  traitors  and  no  police.  On  the 
4th  of  July  a  well  dressed  young  Irishman  came  here  in  a 
small  skiff  from  Saybrook,  after  we  had  eat  our  dinner  and 
drank  wine  and  toasts,  the  Commandant  at  the  Garrison 
summoned  him  to  examination,  which  I  undertook.  He 
was  in  Navy  uniform,  said  he  was  a  purser  upon  the  Balti- 
more station,  his  name  Rob.  Ormby,  that  he  had  resided 
in  Washington  and  Georgetown  10  or  12  years  and  this  he 
made  appear  by  his  Commission  from  the  President  and  a 
variety  of  other  documents,  from  Jones,  Jingy  and  a  letter 
from  Stephen  Ormsby  of  the  House  of  Representatives 
who  is  his  bondsman.  "How  came  you  here  ?  and  for  what 
purpose  ?"  His  furlow  dated  at  Baltimore  with  permission 
to  travel  for  his  health,  but  this  furlow  was  given  in  April 
and  but  for  two  weeks.  "I  obtained  another  2  weeks  more 
but  have  mislaid  it."  "What  was  your  business  at  New 
London  and  Saybrook  ?"  "Seabathing."  For  what  pur- 
pose bid  you  come  here  and  run  the  risque  of  capture  ?" 
"They  told  me  at  Saybrook  that  the  best  bathing  was  on 
this  side  of  the  Sound."  "How  long  do  you  propose  to  re- 
main here  and  where  next  ?"  His  answer  was,  he  should 
stay  here  two  weeks  and  then  go  on  to  Washington  through 
the  Island  by  the  way  of  New-York,  that  he  must  be  at 
Washington  by  the  middle  of  the  month,"  but  this  will 
leave  you  less  than  no  time  to  travel  350  miles."     We  ex- 


LETTEKS.  71 

arnined  his  trunks  and  found  them  crowded  with  very  rich 
clothing,  all  new  and  Navy  uniforms.  One  coat  I  presume 
could  not  have  cost  with  trimmings,  less  than  $150,  abun- 
dance of  fine  linen  and  silk  stockings  and  $300  in  specie. 

The  next  morning  he  altered  his  mind  and  wished  to  re- 
turn to  New  London  but  we  told  him  he  must  pursue  his 
first  purpose  and  go  by  the  stage  to  New  York,  consigned 
to  the  Marshall,  where  our  stage  driver  delivered  him. 
Before  he  left  the  place  he  exchanged  his  specie  for  paper. 
He  is  probably  a  deserter  from  U.  S.  service  and  his  tailor, 
to  both  of  whom  he  is  in  debt  and  going  to  the  fleet  for  no 
very  good  purpose. — But  I  have  not  done  with  the  torpedo. 
Inter  nos  for  it  is  to  be  kept  a  profound  secret.  Poor  Pen- 
ny after  mourning  over  the  loss  of  his  boat  two  or  three 
weeks,  received  a  summons  from  Connecticut  and  has 
obeyed  it. 

It  appears  that  some  Yankee  projector  has  constructed  a 
boat  to  sail  under  water  and  leisurely  fasten  the  torpedo 
to  the  bottom  of  the  ship  and  explode  it.  It  carries  two 
men  and  he  has  chosen  Penny  for  one. 

Doctor,  I  almost  covet  your  retreat  among  the  glens  of 
Adams  County,  secure  in  place  and  plenty,  while  I  am 
doomed  to  this  sand  bank  in  continual  alarm  ;  not  a  week 
passes  but  the  guard  boat  or  some  of  the  sentinal  see,  or 
think  they  see  an  enemies  bai'ge  and  fire,  this  alarms  the 
Gairison  and  the  drum  beats  to  arms,  and  the  whole  town, 
men,  women  and  children  are  in  motion. 

This  pl&ce  consistiiig  of  about  200  houses  has  been  built 
up  since  the  Revolution  by  honest  industry  in  catching 
whale  and  codfish.  The  people  are  not  v°ry  rich  except  a 
few,  mostly  mechanics  and  laborers  with  large  families. 
The  Orders  in  Council  put  an  end  to  ail  our  prosperity  and 
war  is  fast  making  them  poor  and  wretched.  It  is  distres- 
sing to  see  the  changes  that  a  few  years  have  produced 
among  us,  perhaps  near  20  of  my  neighbors  who  were  for  - 
merly  Captains,  Mates,  sailors  of  vessels,  carpenters,  sail- 
makers,  boatbuilders,  and  in  good  circumstances  are  now 
reduced  to  the  necessity  of  doing  Garrison  duty  to  get  ra- 
tions to  feed,  and  a  little  money  with  which  to  cloath  their 


72  LETTERS. 

families.  We  formerly  tad  20  or  25  coasting  vessels  em- 
ployed in  the  southern  trade,  and  in  carrying  wood,  &c.  to 
market.  3  or  4  of  them  only  remain,  some  of  them  have 
been  taken  and  sent  to  Halifax,  others  burnt  and  others  so 
often  taken  and  ransomed  that  the  owners  are  unable  to 
keep  them  in  repair,  and  sail  them,  and  they  are  either 
sunk  at  the  wharf,  or  laid  up  to  rot  in  creeks  and  inlets, 
our  young  men  have  generally  gone  into  the  Army  or  Flo- 
tilla service  at  New  York,  or  emigrated  in  search  of  busi- 
ness ;  nothing  to  be  seen  but  houses  stripped  of  their  fur- 
niture and,  as  we  expect  to  be  burnt,  sent  out  of  the  reach 
of  the  conflagration.  Women  who  have  seen  better  days 
are  oblige  to  wash  and  billet  soldiers  to  share  with  them 
their  rations  ;  no  happy  countenances  among  us,  but  chil- 
dren from  want  of  reflection  and  soldiers  made  happy  by 
whisky  ;  but  for  our  clam  beds  and  fish  many  would  go 
suppeiless  to  bed.  But  what  is  all  this  compared  to  the 
greatest  part  of  Europe,  devastated,  brutallized  and  laid 
waste  with  fire  and  sword  by  a  few  titled  scoundrels  and 
human  butchers  and  incendiaries.  There  is  sure  a  state 
beyond  this  where  such  monsters  will  receive  their  pun- 
ishment. 

Pardon  me  for  this  long  scroll  and  with  a  kind  remem- 
berance  to  Mrs.  Crawford  believe  me  your  friend. 

E.  S. 

P.  S  My  health  is  bad,  but  a  little  better  than  last  sum- 
mer. Mrs.  S.  not  so  well  generally.  My  children  in  good 
health  and  spirits. 


Capture  of  Whshington,  War  of  1812. 
Addressed  to  Henry  P.  Dering,  Sag-Harbor,  N.  T. 

Washington,  Sept.  23d,  1814. 
My  Dear  Friend  : 

I  arrived  here  last  Monday  morning  half  sick  from  rainy 
weather  and  the  vexations  of  delay  from  stage  owners,  Inn- 
keepers, &c,  expences  of  travelling  are  nearly  double  to 
those  of  last  year.     Our  stage  load  was  mostly  members  of 


LETTEBS.  73 

Congress,  arid  on  arriving  at  the  battte  ground  of  Bladens- 
burgh  we  surveyed  it  to  the  Capitol ;  it  is  uneven  ground, 
vallies  and  high  hills,  thick  wooded,  within  pistol  shot  of 
the  turnpike  and  here  and  there  a  small  cleared  field  ;  never 
was  ground  better  formed  for  annoying  an  enemy,  1,000 
men  placed  on  each  side  of  the  road  in  the  woods,  would 
have  killed  every  Englishman,  Ross  commanded,  before 
they  could  have  marched  half  way  to  the  town.  Our  army 
consisted  of  about  7,000  men,  Regulars,  Maiines  and  Mali- 
tia,  6,000  of  whom  never  saw  the  enemy  or  fired  a  gun. 
About  1,000  of  Barney,  Sailors  and  Baltimore  folks  des- 
troyed 7  or  8  hundred  of  them  in  the  first  3  or  4  miles  of 
their  march  when  the  fatal  word  Retreat  was  given,  and  the 
whole  army  scampered  off  as  fast  as  legs  could  carry  them 
through  George  Town  and  over  the  mountains  to  Montgom- 
ery Court  house,  a  distance  of  14  or  15  miles.  Had  the 
noble  General  Winder  gave  the  word  Fire  instead  of  Be- 
treat,  it  is  believed  by  everybody  a  British  soldier  would 
not  have  found  his  way  into  the  city.  No  one  here  at- 
taches any  blame  to  the  soldiers,  they  were  unwilling  to 
obey  their  officers  but  when  their  commander-in-chief  or- 
dered their  retreat  and  their  officers  were  seen  stripping  off 
their  appauiets  or  wraping  themselves  in  their  great  coats 
for  fear  that  the  British  sharp  shooters  should  know  them. 
Of  these  sharp  shooters  it  appears  that  there  was  about 
1,200  who  were  in  advance  of  the  main  body,  and  kept  up 
a  fire  upon  the  Malitia,  but  with  little  execution,  as  our 
whole  loss  does  not  exceed  30.  The  main  body  about  3,000 
marched  along  the  turnpike  in  solid  columu,  loaded  with  3 
or  4  day's  provision  and  80  rounds  of  cartrilges,  and  shoes 
with  wooden  soles  an  inch  thick,  pricked  on  by  their  offi- 
cers until  many  of  them  fell  d^ad  with  heat  and  fatigue. 
14  were  found  in  one  corn  field  dead  without  any  wounds. 
When  they  were  shot  or  died  on  the  road,  they  shovelled 
some  sand  over  them.  I  counted  30  or  40  graves  of  this 
kind,  many  of  which  the  hogs  were  rooting  out,  and  drag- 
ing  their  red  coats  about  the  streets.  We  met  30  or  40 
Marines  with  shovels  going  to  bury  them  more  decently. 
After  they  had   destroyed  the   Public  buildings  in  the 


74  LETTEBS. 

city,  four  naval  officers  and  about  100  men  marched  to 
Greenleefs  point,  to  destroy  the  Arsenal,  Powder  Mazazine, 
Cannon,  Barracks,  and  &c. 

Here  it  appears  our  people  had  taken  from  the  Magazine 
one  hundred  or  more  barrels  of  gunpowder  and  for  safe 
keeping  put  it  into  a  dry  well  and  covered  it  over  with  rub- 
bish. After  they  had  set  fire  to  every  thing  combustable 
one  of  the  soldiers  threw  his  match  among  the  rubbish 
which  took  fire  and  communicating  with  the  powder  it  ex- 
ploded carrying  off  a  column  of  earth  30  feet  diameter, 
destroying  70  or  80  soldiers.  I  have  viewed  the  ruins  of 
the  Public  and  private  buildings,  they  are  destroyed  beyond 
any  possibility  of  repair,  especially  those  constructed  of 
stone.  The  next  morning  after  they  were  burnt,  and  while 
the  stones  were  still  hot  a  violent  storm  of  rain  and  wind 
came  on,  and  cracked  and  split  the  stones  in  all  directions. 
The  pillars  which  supported  the  dome  of  the  house  of  rep- 
resentatives, and  which  at  their  base  were  as  large  as  a 
barrel,  are  reduced  to  the  size  of  a  foot  diameter,  and  in 
many  places  less.  The  amount  of  property  destroyed  pub- 
lic and  private  is  immense,  particularly,  books,  charts  and 
public  documents.  The  Navy  Yard  was  devastated  by  our 
own  people  with  a  stupidity  altogether  unaccountable. 
They  employed  2  or  300  men  to  blow  up  the  bridge  over 
the  eastern  branch  which  secured  the  British  a  safe  en- 
trance to  the  city  by  Bladensburgh,  without  any  fear  of  our 
army  gaining  their  rear;  which  they  might  have  done  in 
half  an  hour  by  passing  over  this  bridge. 

In  fact  the  stpidity  of  our  commanders  during  this  whole 
scene  can  in  no  otherways  be  accounted  for,  but  by  suppos- 
ing that  their  fears  opperated  so  powerfully  as  to  susrjend 
every  faculty  of  reflection  and  reason ;  every  measure  they 
took  contributed  to  facilitate  the  progress  of  the  enemy, 
they  even  assisted  him  in  his  work  of  devastation.  Ross 
promised  to  respect  private  property  and  most  of  the  citi- 
zens remained  in  their  houses.  About  200  troops  only 
came  into  the  city.  Gockburn  was  the  most  active  man  in 
the  business  of  conflagration,  he  was  mounted  upon  a  little 
gray  mare  followed  by  a  colt,  and  in  cantering  about  the 


LETTERS.  75 

streets  whenever  his  eolt  was  in  danger  of  being  lost  he 
would  ride  bacK  after  him. 

The  town  is  full  of  precious  anecdotes  and  the  indigna- 
tion of  the  people  is  so  great  against  Armstrong  and  Win- 
der that  I  doubt  whether  either  of  them  could  appear  here 
in  safety.  The  walls  of  the  Capitol  and  President's  house 
are  covered  with  the  most  gross  and  libellous  pasquinades. 
Three  quarters  of  the  people  still  believe  that  Armstrong 
sold  the  city  to  Cockburn  and  that  everything  was  planned 
to  facilitate  his  success ;  to  keep  up  this  ridiculous  conceit 
the  most  ridiculous  tales  and  falsehoods  are  invented  and 
propigated,  but  no  pen  can  describe  the  follies  and  blun- 
ders every  day  developes. 

This  is  Friday  and  I  expected  a  letter  from  you  or  some 
of  my  family,  but  none  has  come. 

Remember  me  to  your  family  and  look  out  for  conflagra- 
tions as  Cockburn  has  again  announced  to  our  Government 
that  he  shall  burn  all  within  his  reach. 

Yours  truly, 

Ebenezer  Sage. 


SELECTIONS  FROM  LETTERS. 

Washington,  Feb.  27, 1811. 
"The  Age  of  Wonders  is  not  passed.  Mr.  Madison  a  few 
days  since  named  Joel  Barlow  as  Minister  to  the  Court  of 
France,  and  this  day  the  Senate  by  a  great  majority  con- 
firmed the  nomination.  The  wonder  is  that  Timothy  Pick- 
ering voted  for  him,  he  did  more — he  made  a  speech,  in 
which  among  other  good  things  he  mentioned  his  religion 
as  conducing  to  his  qualifications.  Lee,  our  Bordeaux 
Consul,  told  me  this  afternoon  that  he  visited  Timothy  last 
evening  and  had  some  conversation  with  him  upon  the  sub- 
ject of  the  nomination.  That  Timothy  objected  to  him  on 
account  of  his  infidelity.  Lee  told  him  that  was  a  mistake. 
That  Barlow  was  a  believer  in  the  Christian  System,  and 
was  of  the  Unitarian  faith.  That  says  Timothy  is  my  faith 
and  the  only  true  faith.     Of  course  he  supported  him  as 


76  LETTERS. 

being  a  good  Unitarian,  and  therefore  qualified  for  Minis- 
ter plenipotentiary  to  the  Court  of  St.  Cloud.  This  is  I 
think  a  judicious  appointment.  Barlow's  long  residence 
in  Europe  and  being  a  man  of  letters  made  him  acquainted 
■with  all  the  principle  characters,  particularly  in  France, 
his  solid  character  for  talents  and  integrity  will  give  him  a 
greater  weight  in  the  diplomatic  circle,  than  any  other  man 
among  us,  besides  he  is  an  honest  man  and  an  American." 

Washington,  Feb.  24th,  1810. 
"Next  comes  the  Dutchess  of  Baltimore*  and  the  Dauphin 
or  young  Napolian.  She  lives  here  in  great  splendor, 
uquipage  and  dress.  The  young  Emperior  has  his  Tutor 
to  attend  him.  On  Sunday  she  was  at  the  Capitol,  and 
yesterday  they  appeared  in  the  Galleries.  What  a  ridicu- 
lous set  of  idoliters  we  are.  An  angel  from  heaven  would 
not  have  been  more  gazed  at  than  the  repudiated  wife  and 
bantling  of  a  little  yellow  Corsican,  because  this  yellow 
frenchman  was  born  of  the  same  woman  who  brought  into 
existence  an  illustrious  human  Butcher." 

Washington,  1810. 
"We  had  in  the  house  to-day  a  most  rascally  specimen 
of  original  sin  and  total  depravity.  Fulton  a  few  days 
since  in  a  letter  to  the  Speaker  requested  that  he  might  be 
permitted  to  give  an  explanitory  lecture  and  some  experi- 
ments of  a  Torpedo  defence.  A  Committee  was  appointed 
and  the  letter  referred  to  them.  They  reported  that  the 
house  next  Friday  should  adjourn  and  that  he  might  lec- 
ture and  exhibit  on  Saturday  in  the  hall.  It  created  a 
three  hours  debate  and  is  not  yet  settled.  Livermore,  Da- 
na, Quincy  and  others  appeared  agitated  with  alarms  and 
forebodings,  they  made  attempts  at  ridicule.  Quincy  was 
quite  in  a  rage  and  condemned  the  whole  system  as  vision- 
ary. The  fact  is  they  believe  too  much  in  it  for  their  com- 
fort. Fulton  will  risque  his  life  on  the  issue  that  the  sys- 
tem of  defence  and  annoyance  will  one  day  secure  the  world 

*  Mrs.  Jerome  Boneparte,  nee  Miss  Patterson,  of  Baltimore. 


LETTERS.  77 

from  hostile  fleets.  The  federalists  are  very  inconsistent 
in  this  business,  for  allow,  (which  they  very  much  fear)  that 
the  British  navy  can  be  destroyed  (which  protects  us  from 
Napolion's  ships)  will  not  the  same  power  destroy  french 
ships  as  english  ?  But  these  angry  zealots  have  long  since 
left  off  reasoning. 

I  believe  it  will  be  permitted  that  Fulton  should  make  a 
fair  experiment  upon  one  of  the  old  Frigates  in  the  Navy 
Yard.  These  anti-naval  patriots  of  Virginia,  Carolina.  &c, 
would  vote  to  have  the  experiment  tried  upon  the  whole 
for  two  reasons  :  that  it  would  demonstrate  the  efficacy  of 
the  discovery  and  what  to  them  is  of  nearly  great  import- 
ance, get  rid  of  the  Frigates." 


A  Lettee  written  by  Mrs.  Abbey  Louisa  Beaumont,  at  the 

AGE  OF  NINETY-FOUR,  TO  HER  COUSIN  GEORGE  E.  LATHAM, 
ASKING  WHAT  SHE  RECALLED  OF  SAG-HARBOR  IN  HER  EARLY 
DAYS. 

Springfield.  Iowa,  Oct.  4,  1897. 
My  Dear  Cousin  : 

I  was  born  in  the  beautiful  village  of  Sag-Harbor  Janua- 
ry 22,  1803,  and  am  now  in  my  94th  year.  Sag-Harbor, 
when  I  was  young,  way  quite  a  lively  place,  on  account  of 
whaling  ships  being  built  and  sailing  out  from  there,  some 
going  on  a  three  years'  cruise.  The  great  shipyard  gave 
employment  to  many  men. 

There  were  only  two  doctors  living  in  Sag-Harbor  in  my 
young  days,  Doctor  Prentice  and  Dr.  Ebenezer  Sage.  Dr. 
Sage  was  our  family  physician. 

There  was  only  one  little  saloon  in  the  village,  at  the 
lower  part  of  the  Harbor,  never  any  disturbance  created  by 
it.  Every  person  would  go  to  bed  at  night  and  leave  their 
doors  and  windows  unfastened,  but  in  mortal  terror  of  the 
British  war  ships  in  the  bay,  who  were  determined  to  land 
if  possible,  and  burn  Sag-Harbor.  Many  and  many  a  time, 
both  day  and  night,  the  alarm  would  be  given,  "the  British 
are  coming."  Then  the  wagons  would  be  brought  to  take 
the  women  and  children  off  in  the  oak  timber,  to  stav  until 


78  LETTEIiS. 

the  cannon  balls  fired  from  the  fort  and  wharf  by  our  brave 
soldiers  sent  them  back.  I  shall  ne^er  forget  that  six 
weeks  one  summer,  all  the  women  and  children  never  un- 
dressed at  night,  but  lay  down  with  their  clothes  on,  through 
fear  of  the  foreign  foe  in  the  bay. 

The  last  cannon  fired  from  the  war  ships  in  the  bay  at 
dear  old  Sag-Harbor  was  when  they  were  informed  by  two 
traitors,  that  our  soldiers  were  going  to  be  disbanded  on  a 
certain  Saturday,  for  some  reason  which  I  cannot  now  re- 
member. They  were  not  disbanded,  and  now  comes  the 
grandeur  of  the  thing :  The  deceived  British  ships  came 
sneaking  Sunday  night  a  little  too  near,  for  our  brave  sol- 
diers at  the  fort  and  wharf,  dealt  death  and  destruction  on 
board  the  war  ships,  the  way  the  cannon  balls  did  fly. 
That  was  the  last  they  fired  at  Sag-Harbor.  If  this  has 
never  been  put  in  history  it  ought  to  be. 

Abbey  Louise  Beaumont. 
Abbey  Latham  when  a  girl. 

In  connection  with  the  affectionate  terms  in  which  Mrs. 
Beaumont  refers,  in  her  advanced  age  to  her  birth  place, 
it  should  be  stated  that  she  left  Sag- Harbor  when  she  was 
eighteen  years  old  and  has  never  been  there  since,  having 
passed  the  remainder  of  her  long  life  in  the  northern  part 
of  the  State  of  New-York,  then  in  Michigan,  and  afterwards 
in  Iowa,  where  she  now  lives. 


Before  the  attempt  of  the  British  war  ships  in  Sag-Har- 
bor referred  to  in  Mrs.  Beaument's  letter,  Admiral  Sir 
Thomas  M.  Hardy,  who  had  commanded  Nelson's  flag  ship, 
the  Victory,  at  the  battle  of  Trafalgar,  was  in  command  of 
a  fleet  blockading  New  London,  during  which  he  dispatched 
a  boat  expedition  across  the  Sound  to  burn  Sag-Harbor. 
A  sentinel  on  guard  on  Long  Wharf  gave  the  alarm  of  the 
approach  of  the  boats.  At  that  time  there  was  a  high  em- 
inence close  to  the  water,  where  John  Soman's  house  now 


LETTERS.  79 

is  (1897)  then  known  as  Turkey  Hill,  which  in  the  pros- 
perous times  afterwards  of  the  whale  fishery,  was  taken 
down  and  carried  away  by  the  whaling  ships  as  ballast  on 
the  outward  voyage.  During  the  war  of  1812  a  fort  for 
the  defence  of  the  place  was  erected  on  Turkey  Hill.  This 
fort  had  a  nineteen  pounder,  and  when  the  alarm  of  the 
approach  of  the  hostile  boats  was  given,  a  blacksmith, 
named  Slate,  hurried  to  the  hill,  quickly  loaded  the  cannon 
with  spikes  for  the  want  of  cannon  balls,  and  when  the  boats 
came  fairly  within  range,  he  fired  with  such  accurate  aim 
as  to  strike  one  of  the  approaching  boats,  and  it  is  said, 
killed  two  of  the  men  in  her.  Whether  this  single  shot 
did  as  was  questioned,  but  whether  it  did  or  not  it  put  an 
end  to  any  further  attempt  on  the  part  of  the  boats,  and 
they  returned  to  the  fleet  off  New  London. 

As  another  means  of  baffling  the  boats,  a  sloop  loaded 
with  pine  wood,  and  lying  directly  in  line  of  the  landing 
place,  was  set  on  fire,  and  as  the  boats  retired  from  the 
attack,  Captain  David  Hand,  failing  to  get  some  one  to  join 
him,  went  alone  to  the  burning  vessel  and  succeeded  in 
putting  out  the  fire. 


Sa.g= Harbor  Portrayed  in  Verse, 

Read  at  the  Opening  of  the  Sag-Haeeoe  Pake,  July  4,  1879, 

There  begins  at  the  south 

Of  the  Hudson's  mouth 
A  long  narrow  tract  of  dry  land, 

That  stretches  before 

The  Connecticut  shore, 
What  is  known  on  the  map  as  Long  Island. 

As  it  wends  away 

Toward  New  London  bay, 
In  a  course  to  the  Orient  trending, 

It  has  two  long  prongs 

Like  a  broken  tongs, 
From  its  eastern  end  extending. 

The  broken  joint 

Is  Orient  Point, 
With  Gardiner's  Isle  to  the  right  on't, 

"Whilst  the  other  stick 

Stretches  out  to  Montauk, 
A  long  narrow  strip  with  a  light  on't. 

In  the  middle  way 

Lies  Gardiner's  Bay, 
Protected  by  Gardiner's  Island, 

West  of  which,  hilter-skelter, 

Lies  the  Island  of  Shelter, 
A  jumble  of  bays,  creeks  and  highland. 

From  the  opposite  shore 

Cedar  Point  stretches  o'er, 
With  some  knarled  trees  forming  an  arbor, 

And  on  it  a  light 

As  a  guide  in  the  night 
To  the  innermost  bay  of  Sag-Harbor. 

Here  snug  and  well  stowed. 

Like  a  seaman's  abode, 
Lies  a  village  of  tliree  thousand  people. 

By  the  side  of  a  ridge, 

With  a  badly  kept  bridge — 
And  a  church  with  a  very  high  steeple. 

This  chosen  retreat 

Was  the  home  and  the  seat 
Of  the  bold  and  adventurous  sailor, 

And  for  years  had  supplied 

To  the  world  far  and  wide 
The  model  American  sailor. 


«1  SAG-HABBOB  POETBAXED  IN  VEBSE. 

Here  boldly  to  sail 

In  pursuit  of  the  whale 
Was  honored  in  every  station, 

And  his  capture  and  spoil 

Represented  in  oil. 
Was  the  thought  of  the  whole  population. 

For  no  maiden  would  look 

On  a  young  man  who  took 
To  a  land  life  of  torpor  and  stupor, 

When  the  scene  was  here  laid 

Of  the  "Sea  Lions"  raid, 
Of  our  national  novelist,  Cooper. 

Its  long  wharf,  which  then 

Was  well  crowded  with  men, 
Was  a  place  of  great  business  commotion, 

Through  many  a  ship. 

Lying  there  to  equip, 
For  its  ventnresome  voyage  o'er  the  ocean. 

In  these  prosperous  years 

It  had  ship  yards  and  piers, 
And  coop°rs  and  riggers  and  calkers, 

Ship  chandlers,  sail  makers, 

And  ship  biscuit  bakers, 
And  the  whalemen  then  kno"wn  as  Montaukers. 

But  these  scenes  are  all  past, 

And  the  place  is  at  last 
Like  a  field  lying  idle  and  fallow, 

For  we've  found  other  ways 

To  get  light  in  these  days, 
Than  from  oil,  spermaceti  or  tallow. 

And  the  whales  have  run  out, 

Or  if  still  they  will  spout, 
To  be  captured  by  harpoon  or  trigger, 

The  capture  won't  pay, 

The  petroleum  to-day 
Has  brought  oil  to  a  very  low  figure. 

As  a  means  of  bread  winning 

They  have  tried  cotton  spinning, 
And  all  that  the  labor  embraces, 

But  that  wili  not  stay, 

And  our  hope  is  to-day, 
A  i  actory  making  watch  cases. 

Which  we  hope  will  remain 

As  a  true  source  of  gain, 
Which  nought  in  the  future  will  sever ; 

For  we  cannot  efface 

How  we  love  the  old  place — 
So  Sag-Harbor,  Sag-Harbor  forever ! 


THE  SA.G-HABBOB  BEIDGE.  82 

[From  the  Sag-Harbor  Corrector,  July  19th,  1879.] 

The  following,  found  sticking  in  one  of  the  broken  rails  of  the  bridge 
to  North  Haven,  has  been  sent  to  us  for  publication,  by  the  finder: 

THE  HUMBLE    PETITION    OF    THE    SAG-HABBOB  BEIDGE  TO 
HANNIBAL  FEENCH,  ESQ.,  COMMISSIONEE  OF  HIGHWAYS. 


Oh,  Hannibal  French  !    Oh,  Hannibal  French  ! 
Give  ear  to  this  earnest  petition, 

For  nobody  wishes  you  here  to  retrench, 
While  I'm  in  this  wretched  condition. 
The  half  of  my  planks  are  all  worn  and  decayed, 
And  great  gaping  fissures  between  them  are  made, 
Whilst  holes  in  some  places  are  opened  to  view, 
Where  the  leg  of  a  horse  can  go  easily  through, 
So  that  horses  approaching,  with  fear  and  with  dread, 
Go  picking  their  way,  sadly  shaking  their  head, 
And  saying,  as  far  as  they  are  able  to  say, 
This  is  Hannibal's  way  !    This  is  Hannibal's  way. 

And  should  no  impression  be  made  in  the  least, 

By  the  constant  complaining  of  man  and  of  beast, 

Then  I  call  to  my  aid  your  historical  name, 

And  bid  you  remember  great  Hannibal's  fame, 

Who  crossed  o'er  the  Alps,  though  the  snows  were  impeding, 

His  bold  Carthagenians  successfully  leading, 

As  did  also  Napoleon,  with  whom  you  may  claim, 

Some  connection  at  least,  from  the  French  in  your  name. 

And  if  they  with  great  armies  could  cross  mountain  ridges, 

You  surely  could  mend  up  the  humolest  of  bridges. 

Whilst  Nickerson's  yard  is  abounding  in  hoards 

Of  the  very  best  planks  and  the  strongest  of  boards, 

My  only  defense  to  the  dash  of  the  spray, 

Is  some  rotten  old  boards  that  are  crumbling  away. 

My  foot-planks,  in  part,  are  but  worn  out  old  slips, 

The  relics,  I  am  told,  of  some  broken  up  ships, 

That  rattle  and  jolt  when  a  wagon  goes  by, 

With  their  ends  all  devoutly  turned  up  to  the  sky, 

As  saying,  in  view  of  their  services  past, 

Oh,  Hannibal  French  !  how  long  will  this  last? 

Old  friend,  I  should  think  the  delight  of  your  days, 

Would  be  the  employment  of  mending  your  ways, 

Or  if  to  such  mending  you  do  not  incline, 

I  wish  you  would  take  to  the  mending  of  mine, 

Or  a  horse  will  be  damaged,  in  going  across, 

When  the  township,  you  know,  has  to  pay  for  the  loss, 

And  that's  not  the  pleasantest  thing  to  display, 

When  all  is  made  known  upon  Town  Meeting  day, 

And  every  one  quotes  in  the  old-fashioned  rhyme — 

What  is  saved  by  a  stitch  that  is  taken  In  time. 


88  THE  6AG-HAEB0B  BBIDGE. 

And  Hannibal  French,  beware  of  the  day, 

When  the  Storm-King  shall  come  in  his  fearful  array, 

And  exposed  to  his  terrible  blast, 

My  shattered  old  fabric  shall  give  up  at  last. 

When  'mid  loud  peals  of  thunder, 

My  beams  gape  asunder, 

And  lightning  is  flashing, 

And  timbers  are  crashing. 
And  I  finally  fall  from  a  terrible  wrench, 

With  one  piercing  cry, 

Going  up  to  the  sky, 
Of  Hannibal  French !    Oh,  Hannibal  French ! 

The  reference  in  the  foregoing  verses  to  a  "badly  kept 
bridge"  was  the  bridge  to  North  Haven,  which  in  the  year 
1879  was  so  neglected  that  it  became  dilapidated  and  dan- 
gerous, and  led  to  the  publication  of  the  above  Jew  d'  espert, 
the  effect  of  which  was  that  the  Commissioner  of  Eoads 
repaired  it  so  that  it  lasted  until  the  present  fine  structure 
was  erected,  at  a  cost  of  $23,000,  $18,000  of  which  was 
contributed  by  Sag-Harbor's  public  spirited  citizen,  Joseph 
Fahys,  Fsq. 


^■■■^■HH 


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